Natural Selection
by BrittanaWatson
Summary: Brittany Pierce is one of the few treasured teachers at William McKinley High School who actually enjoys her job and cares about the kids. So when the school receives a transfer student, and Brittany feels that undeniable spark, how is she supposed to handle it all; both personally and professionally?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I probably shouldn't be starting a new story while I already have one ongoing, and another on hiatus, but what can ya do?**

 **-B**

* * *

 **August, 2020:**

"Wait, you've been together for how long?"

"We're coming to the two month mark."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know. We communicate; isn't that what keeps a relationship-"

"No, I meant how is it possible you managed to actually get a girl to agree to go on a date with you, never mind be your girlfriend." You ask in playful disbelief as you pour yourself a glass of lemonade.

"Okay, that kind of hurt."

You glance up at your nephew with a chuckle, placing the jug of juice down as you reach across the kitchen island and ruffle his shaggy, dirty blonde hair.

"I'm only teasing, Kieran. Any girl would be lucky to have you."

You grin in amusement as Kieran scowls faintly, fixing his hair while narrowing his blue eyes at you. You run your own blue eyes over his face, shaking your head at how identical to you he looks. Honestly; if you were his age and a boy, god forbid, or vice versa you'd look almost the exact same.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asks slowly, eyeing you while stealing your juice and taking a sip.

"Hey!" Hey grins and hands it back, "I was just thinking about how lucky you are that you look more like me than my dog of a brother."

Kieran barks out a laugh and you smirk proudly before he lifts a fist to his mouth, looking at the counter with a smile as you tense after hearing someone loudly clear their throat. You shake your head subtly at Kieran as he glances up at you in amusement before you turn and smile widely at your older brother.

"Derek! Lemonade?" you offer, holding your hand out and snapping. Kieran hands you your glass and you keep smiling at Derek as you hold out the drink.

You watch blue-green eyes lower to the glass before lifting back up to meet your innocent gaze.

"You're corrupting my child." He says and you roll your eyes, taking a sip of your drink as Derek walks to the fridge.

"He's seventeen. If he's corrupted it's not because of me."

"Is that right?" Derek asks, closing the fridge door while looking back at you with an intrigued glint in his eyes and a knowing smile spreading across his face.

You scoff and nod, "Yeah. You should hear the stuff kids say nowadays. They come up with new things every day. Remember when everyone started saying bae and that cinnamon apple crap? It's worse."

Derek nods slowly with a chuckles and you look at Kieran watching the interaction with a grin.

"What do you kids say now? It's like…damn, what is it?"

"I don't know." Kieran shrugs, running a hand through his hair. "To be honest I think my generation is screwed in the head. There's only thirty percent of us I truly believe aren't complete idiots."

You and Derek nod slowly as Kieran speaks and then glance at each other with smiles before breaking out into laughter. Kieran lifts his head with his brows furrowed in confusion.

"What?"

You shake your head and glance at Derek when he puts the lemonade jug back in the fridge, "It's nothing. I'm just glad you're one of the smart kids." You tell him.

"I'm very thankful for that." Derek says with a nod before pulling his phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. "Marcus! Yeah, I'm leaving the house in five." He says, glancing at his watch before smiling at you and Kieran and heading out of the kitchen, "Tell Patrick to have those papers on my desk before I get there. I want to dive right in and get the paper work finished before the meeting today."

Kieran looks at you and you wiggle your brows with a smile making him snort.

"Hey, bud, is your friend still coming for dinner tonight?" Derek asks, poking his head back around the corner while holding his phone to his shoulder.

"Right! The girlfriend." You beam mischievously.

Kieran eyes you while turning to his dad, "Yeah, I told her to come for six like you said on Monday. Do you have to change the time?"

"No, no, I'll be home hours before dinner." Derek smiles and then looks at you, "Britt, are you going to being joining us?"

"Absolutely. There is no way I'd miss meeting…"

"Santana."

"Latina, huh?" you smirk at Kieran and he rolls his eyes with a shake of his head, leaving the kitchen. You look at Derek, shaking his head at you in amusement, and lift your shoulders, "What?"

"I'll see you later, Britt." He laughs.

You shift and look around your brother's kitchen before finishing the rest of the lemonade in your glass and putting it in the dishwasher.

* * *

You glance up from your coffee table and towards your front door, tucking a stray piece of hair from your ponytail behind your ear.

There is another knock and you sigh, placing your pen on top of the stack of papers in the binder so you don't lose your place before heading to the door.

You pull the door open and smile at Quinn, "Hey, Q."

"Hey, I brought coffee." Quinn smiles, holding the two coffee cups up.

You roll your eyes with a chuckle and open the door wider for her, waving her in. "Already starting on the homework for the new year, huh?" Quinn laughs as she walks into your living room, taking a seat on the love seat in front of the window.

"What can I say, I love throwing work at the students." You joke, reclaiming your seat on the sofa, "When they stress it makes me smile." You say sarcastically. Quinn snorts as she lifts her coffee to her lips and you wet your lips, placing your coffee down. "I'm just going over the course outline and making sure I have all my lesson sheets in order." You shrug.

"School doesn't start for another three weeks. You're the only teacher I know of that starts working before you need to."

"I like what I do."

"You _love_ what you do." Quinn corrects with a laugh and you shoot her a look. "So tonight I was thinking we meet with Finn and Rachel and grab a bite at Breadstix."

"I can't."

"Why not?" Quinn frowns, dropping her shoulders.

You chuckle and close the binders on the table, looking at your best friend, "Kieran's having his girlfriend over for dinner to meet Derek, and now me." You nod as Quinn's jaw drops before she smiles widely.

"How did Kieran manage to get a girlfriend?"

"I asked the same question." You chuckle, leaning back in your spot, "But no, he's a really great kid. I'm hoping this girl is a good match. That she's good enough for him."

"And who better to make the final decision than the only woman to actually be there for him since he was a baby."

"Mhm." You nod and take a sip of coffee, "So, how was your date with that Biff guy?"

* * *

You knock on the door and it opens immediately, Kieran on the other side wearing dark jeans and a black and white, plaid button up. You arch a brow at his gelled hair and Kieran rolls his eyes.

"Look at you!" you tease as you step inside the house.

"Please don't start. I'm already freaking out as it is."

You look over your shoulder at Kieran with a frown as the both of you walk to the kitchen, "Why?"

He lifts his brows, putting his hands in his pockets, "Maybe because it's my first girlfriend and she's meeting my family for the first time." He says and you shake your head. "And then you're here."

"What's wrong with me being here?" you scoff in offence.

Kieran smiles and shrugs, "Nothing's _wrong_ it's just…no offence but you're like…you try to be cool and its lame."

You stop the second you step into the kitchen and turn on him with your jaw dropped in disbelief, "What!"

You and Kieran both look to the side when you hear Derek bursting out laughing as he pulls a dish out of the oven.

"He has a point."

"He has no point." You say, giving your brother a look. You look back at Kieran and he winces, smiling in apology, "I don't try to _act_ cool. I _am_ cool."

"Keep telling yourself that, Britt." Derek snorts and you scowl, walking over when he asks for you to set the table. You mumble under your breath as you grab cutlery and placemats, heading to the table, and glance between Kieran and Derek when the doorbell rings. You arch your brow at Kieran and take a teasing step forwards.

He jumps with wide eyes and heads for the door before you can.

"That kid." You say to Derek as he wipes his hands on his apron.

"C'mon, Britt, it's the first girl he's brought home." Derek says gently and you roll your eyes, placing the last fork on the table. "Just...don't scare her."

"Okay so now not only am I lame and not cool but I'm scary?" you ask incredulously and Derek grins, carrying the dish of lasagne to place in the middle of the table. "Seriously though, I'm not scary am I?" you ask quietly before hearing a quiet laugh from the hall. You straighten and Derek looks at you with an excited smile before you look to the kitchen entrance.

Kieran looks at you and his father with a smile before pulling a shorter brunette from the hallway, "Dad, Brittany, this is Santana. Babe, this is my dad and my aunt."

You lift your brows in pleasant surprise when you finally see Santana, Kieran introducing everyone. You rake your eyes over the girl, taking in her long tan legs, and the way her white and pink sundress clings to her hips and her chest just right. You swallow and lift your gaze past her full lips, high cheek bones, and sculpted nose before you lock your eyes with her dark ones.

You take a sharp breath and Santana's lips twitch into a small smile as she glances between you and Derek, lifting her hand.

"Nice to meet you both."

You clear your throat quietly and smile when her eyes shift back to you.

* * *

"So, Santana," Derek begins with a smile after everyone's food is dished up and glasses are filled, "Tell us about yourself."

"Oh, uh, okay." She chuckles shyly, glancing away from Derek to look at Kieran. He smiles reassuringly and you lift your fork to your mouth, "There isn't much to tell to be honest."

"Nonsense, there must be something special about you to pull Kieran in." Derek chuckles as you roll your eyes fondly.

"I'm not sure."

You glance at Santana as she blushes faintly in embarrassment, cutting her food with the side of her fork. It's silent for about five minutes before you shake your head at Derek and Kieran being awkward boys.

"So, Santana, I haven't seen you at McKinley."

Santana lifts her head and smiles faintly, nodding, "I go to Carmel actually. Well, I did. I'm transferring to McKinley for senior year."

You smile, "Why is that?"

"We're moving and McKinley is closer to the house so it's just easier."

"Awesome." You smile and Santana nods, reaching for her glass.

"You said you haven't seen me, you're not a student there are you? I mean, Kieran said you're his aunt so-"

You laugh and shake your head as Derek snorts, Kieran lifting his hand to cover his mouth as he chuckles, "I teach there. Freshman science, and junior and senior biology."

"That's cool, biology is the best science." She smiles and your smile grows as you lean forwards, looking to Kieran.

"That's what I keep telling this one but he's into physics." You scrunch your nose and Santana chuckles softly, nodding in agreement.

"I know, I don't get it."

You eye the girl with a smile before glancing at Kieran as you sit back, nodding in approval, "I like this one." You tell him, making both him and Santana blush.

* * *

During the rest of dinner you learn Santana has two younger siblings, a sister, Catarina, also transferring to McKinley for her sophomore year, and her brother, Romero, who will be coming to McKinley next autumn. You also learn that she was part of Carmel's glee club, Vocal Adrenaline, and that she is friends with Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones; Kieran's friends, and two students you taught last year. They're also the ones who introduced her to Kieran by inviting her to a party. Apparently Mercedes and Santana were neighbors since birth until Mercedes moved closer to McKinley before they started high school. And she met Kurt because she and Mercedes remained best friends.

The whole time you looked between Kieran and Santana, watching how they interacted and smiled at one another.

It made you smile; seeing Kieran so happy.

You definitely made sure to tease him about it when he and Derek gathered the dishes from the table.

You are now standing in the foyer of the house, checking your purse for your phone, and look over your shoulder when you hear footsteps.

You smile at Santana as she slows to a stop next to you, shifting nervously, "What's up? Are the boys being gross and boy… _ish_?" you asks slowly with a quiet chuckle.

Santana smiles and shakes her head, glancing around, "No, they're fine. I excused myself to use the bathroom but I can't actually…I don't know where it is." She admits and you shake your head.

 _Too cute_.

You pause with wide eyes at the though and Santana looks at you in question. You shake your head and offer a smile, motioning for her to follow you down the hall, "It's just right here." You tell her, flicking the light on for her before stepping back.

"Thanks." She chuckles quietly with embarrassment and you just laugh, touching her arm.

"It's no problem." You drop your hand and head back to the kitchen, lifting your eyebrows in question when you find Kieran and Derek each holding a twisted dish towel, ready to snap them at each other. They shift, caught, and you roll your eyes, "Boys."

* * *

 **A/N: So we'll see how I go about updating this one. I want to finish Wild Horses but that ones becoming a little harder for me to get back into, but nevertheless I'm trying. For now I'm going to say updates once or twice a week. Mwah!**

 **-B**


	2. Chapter 2

**September, 2020:**

"Good morning, Ms. Pierce."

You look to your left and smile at Rachel as she grins faintly, "Morning, Ms. Berry." You chuckle. She laughs softly and bumps your arm with hers as the two of you walk down the halls of McKinley high school on the first day back.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever, how was your vacation?"

"Rach, you saw me like the weekend before last." You tell her and she shrugs, "It was fine. Peaceful. Beyond boring but what can you expect, right? It's Lima."

"Lima has its charms." You scrunch your nose and look at her in disbelief. Rachel tilts her head, "Okay, there isn't much charm, isn't much of anything really but there are worse places to be."

"I'll give you that." You nod in agreement as you enter the teacher's lounge, "What about you, though? How's it going with Finn? The two of you seemed to be doing well the last time I saw you."

"Finn's lovely but I don't feel the spark anymore."

"Rachel Barbra Berry." You say with a wide smile and an intrigued gaze, "Please tell me there is someone else and it's not just a falling out."

Rachel tries holding back a smile as she rolls her eyes fondly and you swat her arm playfully, "Who is it?"

"There's no one. And even if there was we would not talk about this here?" she asks and you narrow your eyes suspiciously, glancing around the room. Your eyes jump from each of the teachers in the lounge, Mr. Jenks and Mr. Tenacrious, both in their fifties and balding with beer bellies. Your face contorts in disgust and you slowly look to Rachel, silently begging her to let you know it wasn't one of them. "Oh dear god, no!"

"For a second there-"

"No, Brittany. I can assure you it is neither of those two-I mean there isn't _anyone_."

You smirk, "This will be fun." You nod when the bell goes off overhead, signalling the beginning of classes.

Rachel opens her mouth to protest and you just turn on your heels and head for the door, waving in goodbye to the shorter teacher.

* * *

"Hola, clase!" you beam as you walk into your classroom, reciting the greeting your favorite high school teacher used when you were in her class years ago.

Your heels click as you head to your desk and you place your purse on the floor at your desk while putting your binder on top of it. You pull your chair out and lift your head, looking around at all the faces of students sitting in front of you and smile.

Your first class was with your freshman class. You are their very first high school teacher so it's your job to calm their nerves before they head on to some other teachers that aren't the nicest.

"My name is Brittany Pierce," you say while tapping the name plate on your desk, smiling at the nervous students sitting straight in their desks, "but you can call me Ms. Pierce or Ms. P, whichever you prefer, although I'd prefer Ms. Pierce. I'm sure you can understand why." You chuckle and most of the kids laugh with you. "Alright, so today we'll just be looking over the course outline. Can I have a volunteer to hand them out while I take attendance?" you ask and look around.

A couple hands shoot up and you nod, pointing to the closest student, a short brunette girl with big glasses and a wide smile.

 _Oh dear lord, it's a miniature Rachel Berry_ , you think as you smile and hand her the pile of outlines.

You finish quickly with the attendance before moving on to reading through the outline, glancing up and making sure all the students are following along with you. You flip the page and swallow, starting the bit on plagiarism, "Plagiarism or any other form of cheating in examinations, tests, or academic work is subject to serious academic penalty." You begin. You go through the rest of the page and flip the last page of the outline over, placing it down beside you as you sit on the edge of the front of your desk. "Now…" you say, glancing at the clock hanging on the wall behind your desk, "We only have a few minutes before class change so I'm going to make this quick."

"High school is very different than junior high. The way it's portrayed on television and in movies isn't the reality of things. You will be pushed beyond your limits at times whether it be by peers around you or teachers and school work. I'm not saying this to scare you, I just want to prepare you and give you a heads up. It can be very stressful, and at times it may seem impossible and I guarantee each of you, at one point, will say the infamous words of every single student in the world ' _I'm dropping out'_. But you know what?" you smile, crossing your legs, "You'll get through it and it will feel amazing when you do. But with that being said I want to remind you that we have a counselling office if you ever feel like everything is becoming too much and to check it out; and if you're not comfortable with going to our counsellor, then I ask that you come to me. It's my job as your teacher to take responsibility and ensure that you are healthy, safe, and happy while in this building, alright?"

You look around and wait until you get a nod from each student before glancing over your shoulder when the bell rings. You smile and get up from your desk, moving around it as everyone stands up and heads for the door.

You smile and wave as they leave before picking up your binder and moving to the shelving unit at the back of the room. You exchange the freshman binder for the senior binder and head back to your desk at the front of the class as the seniors gather outside your room. You pull open the metal rings, pulling out the outline for this class and lean to the side, smiling and waving the group in, "C'mon in, guys. Take a seat."

You close the binder and look up, smiling at the familiar faces from last year, a few from the years before that and move to the first row of tables, counting the number of booklets for the row and handing them to the first student before continuing down until you get to the back of the room while doing the same thing.

"I'm going to ask that you take about five minutes to skim over the outline while I quickly send in the attendance. You've already had three years here and the outline is pretty much the same for every class but just to jog your memory can you all do that for me?" you ask and they flip open the outline, looking through it as you move to your chair behind the desk, opening the attendance window.

* * *

"Knock, knock."

"I'm busy." You sing and Quinn laughs as she walks in your classroom. You smile and look up at her as you lean back in your chair, your computer screen brought up to your freshman science attendance. "I'm studying. I try to learn the names and faces by the end of the first week." You explain to Quinn when she arches a brow.

"Ah, that's right." She nods, moving to your desk. She leans against it and you eye her curiously.

"What do you want?" you ask carefully. Quinn rolls her eyes and gives you a look you've been getting since you became friends in elementary school. "Seriously, you have that I-won't-ask-just-sit-here-until-she-brings-it-up look that you always have when you want something." You state knowingly.

"You're very observant."

"I pride myself on being able to see through your bullshit." You say, whispering the curse, with a smile.

"Is it so hard to believe that I just wanted to visit my best friend in class?"

"A little bit, yes."

"Brittany, come on."

"I can count on one hand how many times this has happened." You tell her pointedly. Quinn huffs and looks down to the end of her dress, playing with the hem.

"Fine, whatever, I'll go back to my boring classroom with kids who think it's funny to call me Ms. Fabgay." She says, giving you a glare. You laugh, remembering the time you let the name slip while speaking with her in her class. In your defense her students were supposed to be reading.

Your laugh dies down and you frown, "Why are you here if you have a class."

"They're reading the outline." She waves her hand and you shake your head.

"Get back to your class, Quinn." You chuckle and she rolls her eyes before winking playfully and heading out.

"Oh, you have a visitor." Quinn says, stepping back to let the person in.

You lift your brows when Santana walks in, giving Quinn a polite smile as the blonde heads out, and cross your legs, smiling faintly at the girl as she walks over holding one strap of her backpack tight against her.

"Santana, how's your first day going?" you ask and she lifts a shoulder making you chuckle.

"It's going."

"What's your schedule like?"

She frowns, looking down at the paper in her other hand, "It's…it's okay. Not exactly what I wish I could take but what can you do?"

You hum and nod slowly in agreement, looking over her in question. You arch a brow and smile faintly in amusement as she looks around, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Oh, right!" she laughs awkwardly and furrows her brows as she pulls her backpack off, searching through it for something. "I actually have a reason for being here, so you don't think I'm like…stalking you or something."

"I didn't think that." You laugh and Santana snaps her head up with wide eyes. Her lips form a small smile before she looks back at her bag and pulls a paper out.

"I was hoping you'd sign this." She says, holding it out to you.

"Sure, depending on what _this_ is." You tease, taking the paper. You look over it and lift your brows, "You want to transfer to my class?"

"Yeah."

"Can I ask why?" you look at her, twisting slowly in your chair as you watch her.

"Honestly?" she asks and you nod, "Well, okay, I like biology but I have Mrs. Maddison and we only went over the outline in class but her voice is so monotone and dull that I don't think I could pay attention to anything she teaches; I'd be too busy planning my funeral."

You stifle a laugh and Santana lifts her brows as she starts to smile, "How come for your reason of requesting a transfer you just wrote _not what I had in mind_?"

"Because listening to someone who sounds like Roz from Monster's Inc. is not what I had in mind." Santana states and you bite your lip, holding back a laugh as you shake your head at her.

"Santana…" you chastise lightly.

She just smiles and lifts her shoulders, "You wanted honesty."

You roll your eyes fondly and grab a pen from your desk, lowering it to the paper before pausing, "You know you won't be getting any special treatment just because you're dating my nephew, right?" you arch a brow at her and she nods quickly.

"Oh! Y-yeah…that never crossed my mind actually." She mumbles and you study her for a moment before signing your name, approving of the request. You hold the paper out to her and she lets out a relieved breath. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it." You wave it off and get up from your seat, moving to the back of the room to the shelving unit. You pull down a textbook for your senior biology class and walk over to Santana, handing it to her.

"God, a textbook already?" she mumbles and you glance at her with a knowing smile while marking down the number of the book being loaned to her.

"We won't be using them for another two weeks but I hand them out because some of the students like to scan through the first chapter before we start. It gives them some starting information." You explain, tapping the end of your pen against the book as Santana holds it in her arms.

She nods in understanding and you look between her eyes with a smile forming as she averts her gaze.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Uhm, no. I think that's it." She nods, looking back at you. You purse your lips and nod.

"Alright. Then I'll see you tomorrow." You say and move back to your seat. "Have a nice day, Santana."

"You too."

* * *

 **A/N: So let me know what you all think ;) Mwah!**

 **-B**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter three, everyone! From the feedback I'm thinking you're liking the story so far, so thats awesome. Mwah!**

 **-B**

* * *

 **September, 2020:**

You scan your eyes over the students as they take their seats after the bell, and look back at your computer, running through the attendance.

You bite your lip and glance up, finding another student, and click the dot by their name to mark that they're present before looking at the door when books fall to the ground, a few papers drifting to the floor.

"Shit…"

You get up slowly and walk over, looking around the corner to see Santana on her knees, picking up her fallen things. You look back at the seniors already seated and give a firm look to a pair of jocks laughing quietly at Santana's expense. They stop immediately and you look back to Santana, crouching down carefully in your tight pencil skirt to gather the loose papers.

"Uh thanks," she mumbles quickly, glancing up at you before doing a double take, "Ms. Pierce…"

"Santana." You greet, getting to your feet as Santana grabs her last book. You hold a hand out to help her up and she takes it hesitantly, mumbling a thank you under her breath. "You're welcome. You can take the empty seat in the front beside Tina or the one in the back corner." You tell her while placing the papers you picked up for her on top of her textbook in her arms.

You watch her take the seat next to Tina and smile faintly at her choice before going to your computer and marking Santana as present.

"Okay…" your draw out, sending in the attendance before closing the window. "Yesterday we spent some time looking over the outline and then the remainder of the class we went through some review from last year. We're going to continue with reviewing last year's curriculum to refresh your minds."

You flip open a binder and remove a loose leaf with written questions and answer from yourself, moving to the front of your desk, "If you can pull out your papers from yesterday, we're going to continue with where we left off. So let's start with…Christian, can you explain homologous chromosomes?"

You look at the answer you wrote and glance up towards Christian, his brows furrowed in thought.

"Uh…they're chromosomes that you receive from both your parents, aren't they? Like half from your dad, half from your mom?"

You nod slowly, thinking over his words, "Exactly, it's a set of one maternal chromosome and one paternal chromosome that pair up with each other during meiosis." He smiles proudly and you chuckle, scanning the room.

Your eyes land on Santana as she stares at the blank paper in front of her, and you hold back a smile, "Ms. Lopez," you watch her head snap up, eyes wide, and offer her a calming smile, "Can you tell me what two bases of DNA are purines?"

Santana shifts and looks at her paper before wetting her lips and looking at you, "Guanine and Adenine."

You nod with a smile, "Which would make the two pyrimidine's what?" you motion to Tina and she clears her throat.

"Cytosine and Thymine."

"Awesome." You smile and look at your paper for the next question before glancing up with a grin, "You're all writing these questions and answers down I hope. This is what you'll be studying for the quiz on Friday."

Everyone groans and quickly starts writing down what they remember, a few throwing their hands up.

"Which ones do I need to repeat?" you ask with a knowing grin.

* * *

You walk down the hall, holding your coffee mug, and take a sip. It was the last period of the day, which you thankfully had off. You had just visited the restroom before grabbing a coffee from the lounge, only to head back to your classroom and look over a few things before heading home.

You turn a corner, smiling politely at a teacher who walks by and shriek, taking a quick step back before you bump into a student.

You check over yourself to make sure you didn't spill before looking at the person in front of you.

Your shoulders drop and you smile faintly as Santana lets out a breath in relief, "You're not having a very good day are you?" you ask and she tilts her head. "This morning with your books, then on the way out of my class, and now." You remind her, watching her become embarrassed all over again.

 _It's very endearing_.

You inwardly scold yourself while lifting your mug to your lips.

"Apparently. I think I just need to slow down a bit."

"That would be wise." You nod and Santana narrows her eyes at you, catching sight of the teasing smirk you try to hide behind your mug. She lets out a faint chuckle and shifts, crossing her arms. "Mm, oh, I meant to ask," you remember. Santana lifts her brows in question. "You weren't there yesterday and we went over those questions, did you manage to get them from someone in class, maybe Tina?"

Santana nods in understanding before shaking her head, "That completely slipped my mind to be honest. Could I grab the questions from you?"

"You could. Just come to my class before you leave-"

"I'm on spare right now." She tells you and you lift your brows, "Unless you have a class…"

"Now is fine." You nod, "Come." You tell her and the two of you head towards your classroom. You open the door and step inside, heading to your desk. You place your mug down as Santana comes over beside you, and flip open your binder on your desk, removing the paper. "For you." You say playfully.

She glances from the paper to you with a smile and sets her backpack on your desk as you sit down. You log into your staff email and glance at Santana as she pulls out her paper from class today, writing down the questions she hadn't gotten from yesterday.

"So, what other class do you have? You didn't seem too fond of your schedule when I asked about it yesterday." You turn in your chair to face her and she glances at you while writing the questions and answer down.

"Well you know I have bio." She says and you nod, reaching for your mug, "I have computer science first thing which makes me want to throw the computer out the window, I mean who wants to code a program?"

"That does sound pretty terrible."

"Then I have your class, and after that I have history with Ms. Fabray. Then it's lunch, pre-cal and then spare, so either I study here or go home."

"Why don't you hang out with Kieran or your friends?" you ask with a frown.

Santana lifts her gaze and straightens, shrugging, "I don't know. We were never together when we were in school and he's already busy with the football team. Plus our schedules don't match up." You give her a sympathetic smile and she nods slowly, handing you back the questions, "Thanks."

"Well you're lucky you get to go home now." You say, trying to lighten the mood. Santana arches a brow with a small smile.

"You don't have a class, you could leave too." She points out and you scrunch your nose.

"I still have some work to do. You know there is more to the job than just throwing homework at the students."

"Yeah, throwing quizzes at us."

You narrow your eyes harmlessly at her playful banter and she just chuckles, glancing away from you.

"You seem to know your biology. You'll do great."

"Well yeah, I just mean, it's the first week."

You laugh, tilting your head as you look at her. She sure had confidence. "I like having prior knowledge of where my students are at before starting the new stuff. You have two months free and school is the farthest thing from your minds. I know from experience jumping right into the new stuff will just start the term off wrong."

"You're the first teacher I've had that genuinely seems to care about your students." She says thoughtfully and you involuntarily smile. "Isn't that sad?"

"That's why I became a teacher." You shrug, "I know there are many teachers out there who don't do it because they love teaching or working with kids, so I try to make up for it. I know I can't but I try."

"That's really amazing." She says quietly and you hold your mug in your lap as Santana stares at you.

You swallow slowly as you hold her stare before the bell goes off, causing the both of you to jump. Your lips part and you wet them as you lean forward, placing your mug on your desk, Santana scrambling to zip up her backpack.

You stand up and turn your computer screen off, grabbing your purse from the floor.

"See you tomorrow." Santana says quickly, leaving the room and you watch her go, too slow to reply.

When she's gone you furrow your brows and run your free hand through your hair while clenching your jaw.

 _What was that_ , you question and glance back to the door.

* * *

"Hey!"

"Hey." You smile, shifting over on the couch to let Kieran sit down next to you in the living room. "How's school been?"

Kieran looks at you with an amused smile as he grabs the TV remote from the coffee table, "Britt, it's only the second day."

You ruffle his hair before pushing his head to the side playfully, making him groan as you chuckle, "I know that. I'm just asking." Kieran grumbles under his breath while fixing his hair and you look back down at your laptop, typing up the quiz for Friday.

"You're already giving them a quiz?" he asks in disbelief and you just hum and nod, "See, that right there is why I don't take your class."

You scoff and glance at him, "You don't take my class because you don't need biology to become an engineer; and because I wouldn't take your ass anyway."

Kieran laughs and you lift your brows, returning your gaze to your screen, "I don't know why you're laughing, I'm being totally honest."

"You'd love having me in your class."

"The only thing I'd love about it is being able to embarrass you in front of your friends." You smirk, "Not that I need you there to do that." You hear him groan and smile, moving onto the next quiz question.

You pick up the paper resting on the arm of the couch and read the question before typing it up.

"Oh, I forgot to ask, so Santana's in your class now?"

You pause from typing the multiple choice options and glance at him, forcing a smile as you nod. He grins and leans back in the couch, "That's cool. Mrs. Maddison is pretty horrible."

"The poor woman is sixty-two and has been teaching high school students for decades." You defend lightly.

"So, it's her job."

"It's her job." You mock, elbowing him. He flinches with a laugh, moving to the other end of the couch. "What classes do you have this term anyway?"

"Spare, pre-cal, chemistry," he lists, counting with his fingers as you arch a brow, "spare and physics after lunch."

"Jesus, Kieran." You breathe with a scrunched nose, "All the heavy subjects in the same term?"

"I know. The homework itself is going to be deadly. Like four hours a day, and on top of that I have football practice and then the games-"

"Okay, kid, you're stressing me out." You say, waving him off, "No wonder you haven't seen Santana."

"What?"

"Huh?" you say quickly, looking at him with wide eyes. Kieran's brows furrow faintly as he frowns, "It's nothing. Santana just mentioned your schedules don't match up so you can't hang out much."

"Oh…well, yeah, I mean I have to stay focused on school if I want to get accepted to good universities. I don't really have time right now to just hang out." He says and you nod, glancing around.

"That's understandable, Kieran, but she's your girlfriend. You're committed to each other so just if you have free time, even if it's half an hour, just try and be with her."

"Yeah. I could skip a few practices-"

"Don't skip anything." You cut him off quickly and he looks at you sadly. You frown and put your hand on his head, "Simple solution, have her over or go to her house and study, do your homework."

"We're not in the same classes."

"You don't need to have the same classes to be together while you do homework, besides you're both taking pre-cal this term." You pull your hand back with a shrug and watch Kieran as he slowly nods.

"Yeah…yeah, that's true." He smiles slowly, "That's perfect actually! Then we don't have to go without seeing each other, and we can still talk while we work."

You watch him as he beams and pulls his phone out, texting, who you assume is, Santana. You clear your throat and return your focus to your laptop, glancing back at your nephew when he gets up.

"Thanks, Britt. Are you staying here for dinner?"

"Not today." You shake your head, saving the quiz after looking at the time, "Which just reminds me I should be leaving right about now." You sigh, closing your laptop while getting off the couch.

Kieran holds his hands out and you pause, looking at him in question, "Would you mind dropping me off at Santana's? She invited me to finish my homework there with her. I'm running low on gas."

You look between his hopeful eyes and sigh dramatically, rolling your eyes fondly when he gives you a side hug before running up to his room to grab his things.

* * *

"Which one is her house?" you ask as you slowly drive down the street.

"Uhm…" Kieran draws out as he looks at each of the houses you pass, "She said the one with the green mailbox."

You do a double take at the house just as you go to pass it and roll your eyes at Kieran, backing up.

"What are you doing?"

"Green mailbox." You point out while pulling to the curb.

"That is not green."

"How many times do you need to be told that you are colorblind as shit?" you ask him firmly and he rolls his eyes. Your gaze travels past him as he checks his backpack making sure he has everything, and to Santana stepping out of the house and onto the porch.

She walks over across the front yard as Kieran huffs, searching for his calculator, and when she sees you she smiles faintly, lifting her hand in a small wave.

You lift your hand off the steering wheel to return the gesture before quickly raking your eyes over her in her barely there shorts and tight tank top. You swallow, lifting your eyes back to her as she stops by the truck, and roll the passenger window down.

"Hey." She smiles at you and Kieran and the boy lifts his head, grinning widely at her.

"Hey, babe."

"What's taking so long?" she chuckles, glancing at you.

You sigh and let your head fall back against the head rest, "Someone is searching for his calculator." You explain and Kieran blushes under Santana's amused gaze.

"Don't you keep it in the front pocket specifically to prevent this from happening?" she asks and Kieran throws his hand up.

"Right!"

You stare at him incredulously and proceed to shake your head while switching gears when he unbuckles his seatbelt. Santana steps back to let him out and smiles softly when he kisses her cheek in greeting. You look away from Santana when Kieran looks back at you and smiles, thanking you for the ride, and you just nod.

"Wait, how are you getting home?" you ask and he pauses to think.

"I'll drive you home." Santana waves it off and Kieran smiles widely as you withhold an eye roll.

"See you later, Britt." Kieran says, lifting a hand and you nod with a smile, glancing to Santana when she waves goodbye before leading Kieran into the house.

You wait for them to get in before letting out a quiet groan and pulling from the curb.

* * *

 **A/N: Update will be most likely be Sunday. Mwah!**

 **-B**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Chapter 4!**

* * *

You park your truck in your parking space and grab your bag, turning the vehicle off before getting out and locking it after you.

A few students walking by call your name and wave, and you chuckle, waving back. You walk through the parking lot and up the front steps of the school, pulling the doors open to get inside.

The hallways are crowded like every other day, just as they were when you attended, except there aren't slushies being thrown in anyone's face; which is a huge improvement.

Rachel spots you before you spot her and links her arm with yours, making you jump. You look at her with wide eyes and she just laughs, holding her coffee with her other hand.

"I need a favor."

"Here we go." You smile, looking ahead of you. Rachel squeezes your arm with hers and you shake your head faintly.

"My kids and I are going around to recruit new members for Glee Club and I was hoping you'd let us come in and sing for your freshman class."

"Rach, we learnt from our own experiences that going classroom to classroom only gets shoes thrown at your heads." You state, looking at her as she winces, recalling the memory. "Exactly."

"That was a decade ago, things have changed. People have changed!" she gushes, facing you more as you walk to your classroom, "And it wouldn't have happened had it not been because of your brilliant ruling as class president in two thousand and eleven."

"Oh my god." You roll your eyes with a small amused smile.

"Brittany, you changed this school for the better! All the students were brought together and cast aside their differences, embracing all their quirks and unique qualities."

"Rachel-"

"To be honest I think the school should be renamed after you. "

"Rach-"

"If not the school then the auditorium."

"God, Rachel, stop." You laugh, pulling her to a stop. She frowns and you shake your head with a sigh, "One song." You roll your eyes as she squeals and hugs you tightly, "But don't blame me if you get a shoe thrown at your head. Even if it's mine."

* * *

"I think that went well." Rachel nods with a wide smile as your freshman students hurry out of the classroom.

You look from your computer screen and to her with an arched brow, glancing at the mini Rachel as she picks up a glee club flyer from the corner of your desk. Rachel gasps happily and looks at you and you just give her a nod.

"Okay, so your kids sang for them and now my seniors are coming in so if you would so kindly leave…" you say, ushering Rachel towards the door. She clicks her tongue at you as your seniors start to walk in.

"Maybe we could stay just for-"

"Rachel, they've been here for years. If they wanted to join they would." You tell her, getting up from your chair. You put a hand on her shoulder and use your other to grab the remaining flyers, walking Rachel to the door. "Try getting Finn to recruit some of his boys." You say, pushing the flyers into her empty hands. "I have to teach."

Rachel huffs as she steps out of the class and you give her a smile before looking to the side when Santana jogs over, panting.

"S-sorry, I forgot my textbook in my car." She explains and you just offer a smile.

"Don't worry about it, Santana." You chuckle, stepping back to let her in the class.

"Wait!" You groan and Santana jumps in surprise, looking at Rachel with wide eyes. "I haven't seen you at this school before."

"Yes, Santana transferred from Carmel."

"As in Vocal Adrenaline, Carmel?" she asks quickly, stepping closer to her. Santana takes a small step back, glancing at you for help as you rub your forehead.

"Um, yeah. Can I go now?" she asks, looking between the two of you.

"Of course and-" you start, holding your hand out towards the class.

"Wait, Santana, let me ask you something."

"Dear god, Rachel, enough with the recruiting." You say, giving her a look. She shakes her head, ignoring you and you clench your jaw, crossing your arms.

"Did you happen to be a part of Carmel's glee club?"

"Only for, like, a year."

"Excellent! I'm recruiting new members for our glee club called New Directions and we would love for you-"

"Okay, Santana has a quiz to start and you _should_ have a drama class to teach so," you trail off, pushing Rachel away from the door.

"Okay, just, take a flyer. Think about it!" Rachel gives a confused Santana a flyer before you manage to get her going, and you put your hand on Santana's shoulder, leading her in the class while closing the door behind you.

* * *

"Do I have everyone's quiz?" you ask as you walk through the rows of desks. One student holds his up for you and you take it with a smile before putting it on top of the pile in your other hand. You stop beside Santana and look around one more time before nodding and going to your desk. "So, we only have about fifteen minutes left in today's class but I'm going to hand out the first booklets for the unit; DNA, RNA, and Genetics. We'll be working with chapters one to three in your textbook." You say, picking up a pile of handouts. You walk over to Santana and hand her a third of the pile, "Take one and pass them back."

You do the same with the next two sections of the class, waiting at the front after asking for any extras to be brought forwards.

"I just want you to read the text of the two first pages and I'm going to quickly mark your quizzes and get them back to you before the bell." You nod, accepting the extras from the middle row before walking around your desk to your chair. You put the extras in the handout bucket at the front of the class next to your desk and then pick up the quiz answer key, starting to mark the quizzes.

"Ms. Pierce?"

You put a small 'x' next to a student's wrong answer before lifting your head and nodding for Tina to go ahead.

"What do you want us to do when we finish reading the text?"

"You can either try to do the first section of questions, if you've read ahead in the textbook, or you can just talk quietly amongst yourselves for the remainder of class." You tell the class. The majority of the class begins to talk with their friends, only a few trying out the questions. You lift your head after marking the last quiz, and look at Santana, smiling faintly when you see her flipping through her textbook and writing answers down in her booklet.

You look at the time and get up, moving to the front of your desk with the quizzes, "I'm going to call your names for your quiz and after I hand it to you, you can head off to your next class. Jordan."

One of the jocks gets up and you hold out his quiz for him, giving him a small smile when he grins at his mark.

You continue calling students up and when you call Santana she jumps to her feet making you chuckle softly, "Good job." You whisper, handing her quiz back. She looks at her mark and a smile slowly crawls its way onto her face as she glances back at you. You tilt your head for her to get going and she nods, heading out as you call the next student.

* * *

"I thought you couldn't leave because you have work to do?"

You slow your walk to your truck and look over your shoulder, turning to face Santana as she walks over. Your lips twitch into a smile and you cross your arms, shrugging.

"Today I got lucky."

"Is that what you call it?" she chuckles, slowing to a stop in front of you.

"I usually bring work home with me on Fridays. Every other day I prefer to just stay here and finish it, especially if I need it done the next day."

"That makes sense." She nods. You eye her with a grin and turn, nodding for her to follow as you walk to your truck. "So, what was with the glee club director?"

"Rachel." You nod, moving to your door to unlock it, "Or, you'd call her Ms. Berry." You nod and she hums, looking over your truck. "She's very involved with the arts. We met and became friends in Glee club, she's been intense the entire time I've known her."

"Wait, so you were a student here?"

You look at her and lean against the truck, eyeing her as you nod.

"And you were in the glee club…" she smiles slowly.

You laugh and roll your eyes, "I was the senior class president too." You say and Santana arches a brow.

"So you were very involved." She says carefully, stepping closer.

"I was." You nod, taking a sharp breath as you watch her move closer. You swallow and wet your lips, shifting, "So, I was right when I said you'd do well on the quiz."

She chuckles and nods, "I was studying long and hard last night."

"I would hope so."

"You would, huh?"

Your brows lift at her flirtatious tone and overall confidence, and you laugh unsurely, "I'm your teacher, of course I want you to study." Santana lifts her head in a slow nod, her eyes sparkling with mischief. You clear your throat and glance away, "I should be heading home." You say and glance back at the teenager, catching her smile falter slightly.

"Yeah, me too." She nods, stepping back. You offer a smile and get into your truck, waiting for Santana to move away before letting out a breath and starting the engine.

* * *

You walk into your small bungalow and unlock the front door, closing it behind you while kicking off your heels. You push them to the side and head straight for your office, pulling your work from your bag and placing it on your desk. You log into your computer and open your staff email, pursing your lips when you see you don't have any new messages.

Leaving the office you move to your bedroom and push the door open, the only thing on your mind being changing into more comfortable clothing.

You walk out of your room and to your kitchen, flicking the light on as you move towards the fridge, pulling out leftover chicken and scalloped potatoes. You heat them up and lean against the counter, waiting for the microwave to stop.

As you wait your mind drifts off and you find yourself thinking back to Santana and how you felt the subtle tug inside when she was flirting at your truck. Although maybe she wasn't flirting.

You furrow your brows in thought and shake your head when the microwave beeps, deciding you're over thinking it as you pull out your dinner and begin to eat.

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter 5 will be posted along with this on because it's on the shorter end. Mwah!**

 **-B**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Just a heads up that I posted chapters 4 and 5 at the same time, so make sure you've read ch. 4 before continuing on!**

 **-B**

* * *

 **October, 2020:**

"Britt!"

You look towards the stairs from the kitchen at Kieran's call and then look at Derek sprinkling some spices and herbs over the raw chicken. He arches a brow in question and you shrug, leaning to the side as Kieran hurries down the stairs.

He walks over, holding two hangers up, displaying a maroon button up shirt, and a grey one, "Which shirt?"

You furrow your brows and lift your shoulders, "Maroon, why?"

Kieran sighs in relief and looks at the grey shirt, nodding slowly to himself, "Santana is coming over for dinner again and then we might head to a movie."

You straighten at the mention of the girl and wet your lips, "Santana's coming? Why didn't one of you tell me?"

"Would that have changed whether you stay or not?" Derek laughs, opening the oven. You narrow your eyes at him as he puts the chicken inside.

"No, it just would've been a little nice to know that one of my students was joining us. Now I have to watch how I act around her." You mumble and boy Pierce boys laugh.

"No you don't." Kieran says before turning and going back upstairs. You watch him leave before your shoulders slump.

It was getting ridiculous already. It's been two weeks since you and Santana talked and about fifty percent of the time you're thinking about the girl and whether she was just messing around or if she was flirting with you. Which would be highly inappropriate for so many reasons but you just couldn't get her off your mind.

Having to see her everyday wasn't that great for it either.

"…Britt?"

You shake your head and look up from the counter top when Derek calls your name. He tilts his head looking at you curiously and you glance around.

"What?"

"Santana's here. Kieran asked if you could grab the door."

"Oh, yeah." You nod and he shakes his head at you with a grin as you push off the counter and head out of the kitchen to the front door. You glance down at yourself, pursing your lips at your casual clothing, and run a hand through your hair while opening the door.

Santana looks up from her phone and her eyes widen at you in surprise, "Ms. Pierce…um, hi."

"We're not in school, Santana. You can call me Brittany." You tell her, opening the door wider for her. She nods and steps inside, looking back at you as you close the door.

"Kieran didn't tell me you'd be here." She says and you arch a brow.

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"Oh! No, I didn't mean it like that, I'm just surprised is all." She says quickly and you look down before glancing up with a smile.

"I'm just kidding, relax." You say and motion towards the stairs. "Kieran's just finishing up getting ready. I'm sure you can go up."

Santana slowly pulls her gaze from the stairs, looking at you, "I'm good."

* * *

"Dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes." Derek says from the kitchen while walking to the living room where you and Santana are sitting. Santana on the couch and you in Derek's recliner. He arches a brow at you in his spot and you smile sweetly.

Santana chuckles softly, looking between the two of you with a smile and Derek shakes his head, looking at Santana, "Let me know if this one gets irritating." He whispers loudly. You narrow your eyes at him and Santana nods as Derek grins at you.

"I'll remember that." she replies.

You follow Derek with your eyes as he returns to the kitchen before letting out a breath and glancing at Santana fiddling with her phone.

"So," you clear your throat. Santana lifts her head and you run your hand through your hair, "How are you doing with this unit?"

"It's not bad." She says, shifting on the couch to pull her legs under her while tucking her hair behind her ear, "There's a shit ton of terms to memorize."

Your lips twitch into a smile when she widens her eyes at realizing she let a small curse slip and you nod, "There is a shit ton, but that's bio." She relaxes and you rest your chin in your hand, "What about the whole replication process? That seems to be confusing most of the students."

"At first I guess it can be confusing but once it starts sinking in it's really easy." She says with a small smile.

You chuckle and arch a brow, "Easy, huh? So you're saying I should find harder material to give you?"

"If you want." She laughs quietly, tilting her head, "I'm pretty sure I can take whatever you throw at me."

"Confident." You snort. Santana smiles to herself before the both of you shift your gaze to the living room entrance, Kieran smiling when he sees Santana.

"Sorry, I was having a wardrobe issue." He says quietly while walking over to Santana. She gets up and Kieran pulls her into a hug before turning his head and giving her a kiss.

You run your tongue over your teeth and glance away until they separate.

"So what were you guys talking about?" he asks, sitting down beside Santana when she reclaims her place.

"We were talking about DNA replication." You tell him, watching him place his hand on Santana's jean covered knee. You lift your gaze and force a small smile in his direction as he scrunches his nose.

"Biology."

"Is so much better than Physics." Santana says, patting his hand on her knee before glancing at you quickly and taking his hand from her knee, holding it on his thigh. "Uhm, so why are you all dressed up?" she lifts her brows with a smile and Kieran grins, putting his arm around her as you inwardly roll your eyes.

"I just wanted to look good for my girlfriend. Plus I was thinking we could catch a late movie after dinner."

Santana's smile falters slightly and you furrow your brows curiously as she chuckles nervously and shakes her head, "I can't tonight. I have a lot of stuff to do."

"Oh…"

"I'm sorry." She frowns, "You should've asked me." She mumbles and you shift uncomfortably, looking away from the awkward couple. You see Derek head over and jump to your feet with a pleading look.

"Dinner's ready." He says, eyeing you in question. You let out a relieved breath and go into the kitchen, taking your seat at the table.

* * *

You lift your hand to your mouth, covering a yawn, and lean against the living room wall. Derek looks away from the television and leans back in his chair, tapping the remote against his thigh, "Are you heading out?" he asks.

Both Kieran and Santana look back at you in question and you nod your head slowly, crossing your arms with your jacket draped over them.

"Yeah, I have to finish typing up a test for my junior class on Monday."

"That sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday night." Kieran teases and you glare playfully at him before running your hand through your hair and sighing.

"I should really get going. I'll talk to you guys later." You say with a small wave before turning and heading to the door, slipping your jacket on.

"Britt, would you mind driving Santana home?"

You look over your shoulder at Kieran hurrying after you, Santana following after him at a slower pace. You furrow your brows in confusion while fixing the collar of your jacket and flip your hair over your shoulder.

"Didn't you drive here?" you ask her and she shakes her head.

"I let my sister use it and she blew out one of my tires. It's in the shop. I walked." She explains, "But its fine, I can walk back. It's not a big deal." She says, giving Kieran a pointed look.

"It's dark and cold." He says to her and she sighs, shaking her head.

"I'm fine-"

"I can drive you." You cut her off and she looks at you. You shrug. "It's no problem."

Santana shifts unsurely, glancing at Kieran before looking back at you, "Are you sure? I'm fine with walking."

"Kieran's right. It's already dark and it's pretty chilly." You grab look down at your pocket, checking to make sure you have your keys and phone, and lift your head, smiling faintly.

Santana hesitates before nodding and thanking you. You nod in reply and wait for her to grab her jacket and say goodbye to Derek before she's standing in front of you, ready to go.

"Alright, so I'll call tomorrow." You tell Kieran and he nods before leaning in and kissing Santana goodbye. She whispers farewell as you open the door and step outside, cursing under your breath when you're hit with a cool breeze.

You hit the button on your car starter to unlock the door and head to the driver side, nodding for Santana to get in the passenger side.

"Door's unlocked." You tell her and she jogs over, her arms crossed over her chest to block the cold. You close the door once you get behind the wheel and put the key in the ignition as Santana opens the side door.

"Jesus…" she breathes and you do a double take at her, laughing gently as you watch her try to pull her short self up into the truck.

"Grab the handle there." You tell her, pointing to the handle at the top of the door. She stretches, grabbing it and you hold out your hand. She takes it with her free hand and you help get her in.

"Why do you have a truck so high up?" she asks with a huff, closing the door before putting her belt on.

You shrug as you wait for her to buckle in, and proceed to put the truck in reverse, backing out of your brother's driveway, "I've always wanted a truck." You put your hand on the back of Santana's seat, looking out the back window as you pull out, and then put the truck in drive, dropping your arm to the console between your seats.

"Everyone has at one point but this thing is huge."

"Go big or go home, right?" You glance at her in amusement and she lifts her shoulders, "It's not huge. You're just small."

"I'm 5'5, thank you very much." She scoffs lightly, "You're not much taller than me."

"Santana, I'm like a head taller."

"No you're not." She laughs and you nod, turning onto another street. "How tall are you really? Like, accurate measurements."

"Last time I checked I was 5'8."

"That's not a head taller than me."

"It's tall enough for me to get into this truck without any trouble." You say with a smirk, coming to a stoplight. You turn your head to look at Santana and your smirk turns into a wide smile at her set jaw and arched brow. "Well am I wrong?"

"You're an ass."

You let out a laugh and Santana shakes her head with a small smile of her own as you return your focus to the road, pressing on the gas when the light turns green.

* * *

You turn onto Santana's street and slow as you drive down to her house, pulling up to the curb, "Green mailbox." You say, putting the truck in park.

Santana glances at you with a grin and nods, "Green mailbox." You run your hand through your hair, leaving your fingers tangled in your locks as you watch Santana check her phone, typing out a message before she sighs and looks at her door.

"Are you waiting for someone to open the door?" you ask and she nods. You hum and look past her, arching a brow when the porch light stays off. "Is anyone home?"

"My sister and brother should be. They didn't say they were going anywhere."

"Don't you have a key?" you ask and Santana glances at you.

"It on my desk."

"Smart, Lopez, very smart." You chuckle.

Santana looks at you and rolls her eyes with a smile before looking back at her house and groaning.

"This would be the time when an emergency key comes in handy." You tell her and she furrows her brows.

"A what?"

"Your emergency key. You know, you put it under a pot or in your mailbox…under your welcome mat?" you say slowly. Santana shrugs, not knowing what you're talking about and you give her a disbelieving look. "Things cannot have changed that much since I was in school."

Santana chuckles and runs a hand through her own hair, "All I know is we don't have one of those."

"Well you should invest in one." You say and turn the engine off, sighing as you rest your head back against the head rest.

"Great." You hear her mumble under her breath and glance at her, lifting your head. She glances at you and shifts, "My sister went out for food and my brother is staying at a friend's place."

"Did she say when she was going to be back?"

"Half an hour or so." She sighs, shaking her head while looking at you, "Sorry, you'd probably be home by now if Kieran hadn't asked you to drive me."

"I would've been, yeah. About five minutes ago." You nod before shrugging and looking to her house, "But its fine. If I didn't drive you, you would've walked and then had to sit outside and that wouldn't have been very responsible on my end."

Santana looks at her phone in her lap and you lift your butt off the seat, pulling your wallet from your back pocket, "Do you have an alarm system?"

"Why?" she asks slowly, looking at you carefully. You glance at her with a smile and tilt your head. "No, the idiots keep postponing." She says and you nod, taking your seatbelt off. Santana watches you curiously as you get out of the truck. You look through your card and find your movie theater membership, pulling it out of the pocket before putting your wallet back in your pocket and grabbing your phone from the seat.

"C'mon." you nod for Santana to follow you and she furrows her brows but gets out like you said, following you to her house. You go through her gate and to her backyard, peaking around for the backdoor and move up the deck, stopping in front of the door. "Are you okay with me breaking into your house?" you ask her, holding your card up.

She looks at you blankly before laughing and you smile faintly, putting your weight on your left leg as you wait. She quiets down and shakes her head before catching your look, her smile faltering.

"Wait, you're serious?"

"Yeah. Unless you want to wait in the truck with me."

She opens her mouth to reply before groaning and rubbing her forehead, shrugging, "Go for it."

You face the door and hand her your phone to shine the light on the deadbolt, and flip the card, sliding it between the doorframe and the door. You press your weight against the door while pulling up on the knob and wiggling the card. You feel it slide into place and beam, turning the knob.

"Bullshit…" she breathes in disbelief as you step back, opening the door for her. She looks at you and then at the card and then back at you before shaking her head, "How did-"

"I was a teenager once." You say, your eyes sparkling with mischief, "And I had a friend who wasn't the greatest influence." You put your card away and then look back at the open door, "You should probably lock the knob before you leave the house."

"Why, I'm sure you know how to pick a lock with a bobby pin."

"I actually do." You chuckle, looking at her through your lashes. She lets out a breath and slumps against the wall of the house, looking at you. She pokes her tongue out to wet her lips and you clear your throat, looking around. "Alright, well I should get going." You say and she blinks quickly, nodding.

"Yeah." She says, standing straight. "Thanks for…this." She chuckles awkwardly, waving towards her door and you nod with a smile.

"Don't leave the house without your key." You remind her and head over to the gate. You chance a glance back at her and she smiles, waving before going inside and you wait for her to close the door before leaving.

* * *

 **Next Update: Tuesday**

 **-B**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: The feedback so far has been amazing everyone, thanks so much, and I'm really glad you're all liking the story so far.**

 **I've been getting asked about the age gap between Brittana, so to clear it up Brittany's senior year was 2011/2012, and this story takes place in 2020, so Britt is 25 at the moment while Santana is 17.**

 **-B**

* * *

October, 2020:

"Ms. Pierce?"

You lift your eyes from the open textbook in front of you and scan the room before landing on Santana looking at you with her hand raised. You smile faintly, wetting your lips to rid it from your face as you get up from your chair, walking over to her desk. You stop by her side and put your hand on the back of her chair, looking down at the hand out in front of her, "Question?"

"Okay, I tried this question but I'm not getting the right answer…" she says with a slight frown, pointing at the question with her pencil.

You smile and look at her, shaking your head, "Santana, we haven't gotten to this part yet. I only asked you to do questions one to seven."

"Well yeah but there's like fifteen minutes left and I could get a few more questions done." She says, glancing up at you. You arch a brow and she smiles faintly.

You roll your eyes fondly, taking her pencil from her, taking a sharp, silent inhale when your fingers brush, and clear your throat. "Okay, so you're crossing a medium red plant with a short orange plant. Tall equals the two capitalized Q's, and short equals the lower case q's. You would figure medium is one capitalized Q and a lowercase q, same goes with the color of the plant. If red is two capital R's and yellow is lowercase, orange would be the same as medium. Are you following?" you ask, looking at her after drawing a punnet square.

"Yeah but I don't get how to fill the square." She says, holding her hand out, "Like…no I'm just confused." She sighs, holding her chin in her hand while you nod.

"Because you have added characteristics you would add another two boxes to the square, like this." You show her, separating the letters, and turn the pencil around, handing it back to her, "So now you just fill in the box like usual." You say and straighten, staying by her side as she fills in the box and calculates the genotype and phenotype.

She looks at you and points to her paper with her pencil, lifting a brow in question and you lean down, looking over it before smiling, "Perfect."

"That's ridiculous." She says and you chuckle.

"Exactly why I didn't assign you those questions today." You tell her with a pointed look and she shrugs. You look up to the door when there is a quiet knock, and remove your hand from Santana's chair, heading over to speak with Rachel waiting for you in the hall.

* * *

You quietly close the door behind you, looking in through the window at your students still working on the questions, before looking at Rachel and lifting your brows expectantly, "What's up?"

Rachel smiles sweetly at you and you furrow your brows suspiciously, leaning back when she rips out a booklet from behind her, holding it out to you, "Congratulations!"

"Why are you congratulating me?" you ask slowly, hesitantly taking the booklet, flipping open the first page. "And why am I reading a manual on haunted house rules and regulations?" you ask, glancing at her through your lashes.

"You've been chosen from the entirety of McKinley's staff members to supervise this year's haunted house." She says happily, clapping her hands together before linking her fingers in front of her. Your lips part and you scrunch your nose as you flip through the booklet quickly, shaking your head.

"I didn't sign up to be chosen."

"Names are drawn at random, Brittany."

"Rachel," you sigh, "I'm not in the mood for your games."

"This is not a game, Brittany." She states firmly, lifting her hand and poking the booklet, "Every year staff members are chosen at random to supervise the different stations for Halloween Spirit Day, and it just so happens your name was pulled out of the hat for the haunted house."

You groan and glance around.

"I was in charge of it last year." She reminds you and you lift your brows quickly before looking back at the booklet.

"Of course, how could I forget you dressing seniors up as steaks and chicken to bring forth awareness of veganism?"

"It might not have been my finest moment, I will admit I let my beliefs get the better of me, but still! The haunted house is the best part of the day! Both the teachers and the students love it!"

"I understand that and I love getting scared shitless but I don't want to be in charge of building it." You tell her while handing her the booklet. Rachel takes a step back while putting her hands behind her and you drop your shoulders, "Seriously?"

"I'm sorry, Brittany, but I've already sent out an invoice to the staff announcing who is in charge of what station."

"Rachel!" you hiss quietly as she turns on her heels to leave.

"The students helping with the haunted house are meeting after school in the gymnasium, I'm sure they'll be thrilled when they find out you're in charge." She calls back before turning a corner and casting you a smile.

You groan and throw your hands up, glaring at the booklet before returning to your classroom.

* * *

You sigh as you pick up the last test from one of your junior's desk and look up at the clock when the bell rings.

"Alright, everyone, see you tomorrow." You say over the noise of students transferring their class. You step out of the way to let some students out from their desk and head to your own, lifting your bag to your chair. You slide the tests in your bag and put it back on the ground, sitting down and turning to your computer. You log in and open you email, checking the invoice from Rachel.

"Unbelievable." You breathe when you see your name next to haunted house, and click the close box. You groan and lean back in your chair, pinching the bridge of your nose as you wait for the time to pass.

* * *

You flick the light of your classroom off and step out of the room, closing the door. You put your keys away and drape your jacket over your arm before pulling your bag over your shoulder. It was ten to four and school had let out five minutes ago. It was time to head to the gym and meet the students that will be helping with the haunted house for the end of the month.

You have mixed feelings about the whole thing.

Sure you like the haunted house, you always have, but building it? You're not great when it comes to that kind of stuff.

You walk down the empty halls and head to the gym, slowing when you hear familiar voices from inside, talking and laughing. You push the doors open and step inside the gym, the click of your heels echoing as you head to the bleachers, a smile growing.

"Ms. Pierce! You're the supervisor?" Kurt squeals in excitement, jumping up and throwing his arms around you. You laugh softly and pat his back lightly before he steps back.

"I was worried we were going to get Mr. Reyes like sophomore year but thank god it is a cool teacher."

You smile and shrug lightly at Mercedes, placing your things on the lowest bleacher, "I am pretty cool." You smile cheekily before glancing to the side, and lifting your brows, just now noticing Santana sitting a few spaces away. "I didn't know you were so involved." You say playfully and she shrugs with a smile.

"I was dragged into it."

"By me." Mercedes lifts her hand with a proud smile before swatting Santana's knee. Both girls giggle and you just shake your head before looking at the gym doors when they open.

"Sorry! I had to pee really bad."

"Thanks for that, Trouty." Santana rolls her eyes as Sam Evans, a senior jock, jogs over with his huge lips turned upwards in a smile.

"Awesome, you're our supervisor?" He nods happily.

"I am." You nod, holding your hand out towards the bleachers, signalling for him to take a seat. You wait for Sam to sit and clap your hands together while looking around at the eight students sitting in front of you. "Okay so I don't really know the first thing about building a haunted house." You admit holding your hands out and the student's chuckle. You smile and point, "You think I'm funny but I'm being serious."

"Don't you usually start with like…the theme?" Santana asks everyone hesitantly.

You hold your hand out to her and nod with a smile, "Right let's-"

"I thought Halloween _was_ the theme." Sam mumbles.

"Halloween isn't a _theme_ , guppy lips." Santana says, "A theme is like, zombies or vampires."

"Ou, I could be down for vampires." Mercedes nods with a grin, "Add some werewolves-"

"Maybe some romance and glitter, we can turn it into Twilight 2.0" a jock behinds her says. Mercedes rolls her eyes and you just stand in front of the group with your arms crossed and brows lifted in amusement.

"Yeah, well what's your brilliant idea?" Mercedes asks with a scoff.

"Something like demons."

"I refuse." Kurt says quickly.

"Oh hell to the no!" Mercedes says at the same time while Sam nods in agreement with his fellow jock, slapping him in the back with a grin. "We are not doing some satanic ritual up in here."

"Why not, we could have Satan herself sitting on a throne." The joke laughs, nudging Santana with his elbow. She shoots him a glare, shoving him away from her before glancing at you while you furrow your brows. "What's wrong with-"

"Okay!" you clap, getting their attention. Everyone looks at you and you hold your hands out to the sides, "I have an idea. Mercedes can you take out a loose leaf and rip it into nine pieces about the same size?"

She nods and starts digging through her backpack while you look at everyone else, "Everyone take out a pen and when you get a piece of the paper I want you to write down your biggest fear. We can incorporate them into the house."

"House of Fears..." Kurt suggests, looking at you for approval.

"That's pretty cool. I'm in." Sam beams, taking a paper and scribbling down his fear.

You look around to the other students, each nodding in agreement, and smile proudly.

"Ms. Pierce, why'd you say nine when there is only eight of us?" Mercedes asks and you step forwards, taking the last piece and her pen, writing your fear on it before folding it twice.

"It's only fair my fear is incorporated." You wink and cup your hand together, "Everyone pass your papers forwards and I'll shake them up; then everyone can open one." You say, scrambling the papers before handing one to each of the students. "Sam you can read your first and then we'll go to Kurt and so on."

"Spiders."

Your lips twitch and you hold back a smile, nodding for Kurt to go.

"Death."

"Snakes."

"Darkness."

"Clowns."

You swallow, glancing around as Santana lists her head after reading the slip of paper, and nod for another student to read, "Being murdered."

You give a pointed look to the jock smirking and he falters under your gaze.

"Ghosts."

"Clowns again."

"Heights." You read and lift your head, letting out a breath. "Okay so we have some ideas to incorporate now we just need to figure out how to do that."

You take a seat next to your stuff and pull out your phone as the students start brainstorming. You tense and glance to the side when the bench dips slightly, and arch a brow at Santana. She smiles and drops her shoulders.

"Hey."

"Hey." You chuckle, "Have any ideas?" you ask, putting your phone away before turning to face her more. She purses her lips before side glancing you and smiling slyly.

"Kinda, but I was actually going to ask how you think we'll manage to portray death."

You chuckle and tilt your head, smiling at her, "That's your job."

Santana gasps dramatically, smiling and looking at her lap before tilting her head and glancing at you with a sweet look. Your smile falls slightly as you stare at her and her lips turn into a smile that grows slowly. You lift your gaze from her mouth and take a deep breath as you avert your gaze. You close your eyes, shaking your head faintly at yourself before opening your eyes and glancing back at the girl looking at the other students.

"Maybe for heights we could…" she starts, looking back at you, "Have a step down from a higher platform, not a horrible one but enough that if it's pitch black…" she trails off and you nod.

"Like when you go down the stairs and miss a step."

"And you have a mini heart attack." She smiles. You laugh and nod in agreement, "Yeah?"

"Pretty brilliant." You compliment and she blushes faintly making your smile grow. You shift, glancing behind Santana and tense when you meet Kurt's faint questioning smile. You clear your throat and stand up, rubbing the back of your neck as you face the group, "Okay, guys. I think that's enough for today." You say and watch Sam and the other four background seniors get up and leave as Santana gets up slowly with a slight frown, retrieving her things. You swallow and force a smile at Mercedes and Kurt as they wait for Santana. The three of them leave and you close your eyes with a heavy sigh, holding your hand against your forehead.

* * *

 **A/N: next update will be Thursday; and I can promise you that there will for sure be 2 weekly updates, but I will be aiming for 3 (Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays).**

 **-B**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: chapter seven up! Mwah!**

 **-B**

* * *

 **October, 2020:**

"Okay…" you sigh heavily, walking towards one of the set up tables in the gym with Sam and Kurt standing behind it opening boxes with the decorations for the school. You stop in front of them and the pause to give you're their attention, "Anything we can use? That we need?"

"Well we found a grim reaper costume in one of the boxes and these two have a bunch of those fake spider webs." Sam says with a grin and you nod, looking in the boxes. You nod happily at the amount and tick off grim reaper costume.

"Keep your eyes open for more webs, we need as many as we can find." You say, turning and looking around at the other tables you have to check.

"Ms. Pierce,"

You nod for the jock, Marcus, to go on as he stops beside you holding a box, "I was thinking for the murder part,"

"Ugh, Marcus." You shake your head and he shakes his, stepping closer with wide eyes, "I don't think being murdered would work out well-"

"No, no, just hear me out!" he says quickly, "I was thinking somewhere in the house I can be dressed as like a pyscho butcher with like a fake butcher's knife like behind a cage as people walk by. We can have a small light so when they walk by they see me and I scare the crap out of them." He says with a big grin.

You purse your lips in thought and look back at Sam and Kurt for their opinions and Sam nods in agreement as Kurt shrugs.

"It's not a terrible idea."

You sigh and look back at Marcus, nodding, "Alright, fine."

"Nice!" he beams and goes back to his table with the box, beginning to look through it. You shake your head at him with a small smile and then look to the side at Mercedes pulling a bunch of string up pumpkin decorations from a box with a scrunched nose. Your gaze shifts to Santana wrapping the decorations around Mercedes while laughing with her head thrown back.

You giggle quietly to yourself as you watch the two girls before you head over and arch an expectant brow at Santana who stops with her mouth open, caught.

"You do realize we're not here to decorate our friends, right?"

"Yeah, Satan." Mercedes huffs, pulling the pumpkins off her as Santana rolls her eyes at the nickname. "Oh hell no. The glitter came off in my hair!" she says in panic, throwing the decorations at Santana who laughs quietly, lifting her hands to block her face.

"Okay," you chuckle, "Have you girls found anything we need for the house?" you ask, glancing at your list before looking between the two.

"Only a bunch of non-scary decorations." Santana mumbles, waving her hand towards the decorations. You pout and she furrows her brows, pointing to another box on the floor, "There is also a steak costume…"

Mercedes snorts and you roll your eyes, "Ms. Berry was in charge of the haunted house last year."

"And she's scared of meat?" Santana asks slowly in confusion.

"She's a vegan." You state and Santana lifts her head in a slow nod.

"She turned the haunted house into like a meat locker and played animal sounds. It was pretty frightening." Mercedes mumbles while lifting her eyebrows quickly, tilting her head to the side.

Santana looks from Mercedes to you and you nod along in agreement, crossing your arms.

"So how much do we have that we can use?"

You purse your lips and look at your list, "We have a grim reaper costume and some spider webs." You state with a nod.

"That's it?" Mercedes huffs, "We need so much more."

"I know. I think I'm just going to head to the store on my way home and grab what I can." You mumble, looking back down at the list in your hand.

"I heard something about shopping."

You look at Kurt coming to stop by your side and nod, "We still need a lot."

"So you're just going to buy everything by yourself?" he asks, "Like out of your own pocket?"

"If I have to but we have a school budget I can work with."

"Can we come too?" Mercedes asks and you tilt your head, "No offence, Ms. Pierce, we love you and all, but things people your age find scary aren't things teenagers find scary."

You pull your head back as your jaw drops and Santana holds back a laugh, looking to the side as Kurt chuckles, "Excuse you, I'm not even in my _late_ twenties yet." You tell them and Mercedes shrugs.

"Yeah but-"

"I think what Mercedes is trying to say is that we can shed some light for the younger generation." Kurt cuts her off as you narrow your eyes. "Right Santana?"

Santana looks from Kurt to you and shrugs, "Sure."

"Great! So how are we getting there? My car is getting washed." Kurt claps happily, looking at you.

You look between the three students and groan, scratching the top of your head as you close your eyes, "I can fit the three of you but it will be cramped with the bags."

"You have a truck."

"Everything will fly out of the back."

"I call shotgun." Santana says quickly and Kurt and Mercedes protest. Santana holds her hands up in defense before crossing them and smirking, "Too slow."

You wet your lips and pull your phone out to look at the time, nodding. You've all been here for just under two hours and you've accomplished a fair amount of work, "You guys can grab your things and head to my truck, I just have to stop by my classroom quickly."

* * *

"Okay…." You breathe as you walk over to your truck. The three teenagers stop their chatting and look at you before moving to the passenger door. You unlock the driver's door and sit behind the wheel, hitting the button on the door to unlock the passenger side.

Santana pulls it open and you lean over pulling a lever to bring the passenger seat forwards. Mercedes and Kurt climb in the back as you put the key in the ignition and Santana pushes the chair back before readying herself to get in.

You look at her in amusement as she bounces a few times.

"Girl, what are you doing?" Mercedes asks.

"She's too short to get in." you smirk playfully.

"Seriously?" Kurt laughs.

"Satan, I'm shorter than you and I got in."

"Whatever!" Santana huffs, grabbing the handle at the top of the door and pulling herself in. She shifts in the seat and closes the door, giving you a victorious smirk.

You roll your eyes with a chuckle and pull out from your parking spot, heading out of the lot.

* * *

"So how does the whole budget thing work?" Santana asks as the four of you step into Target.

"And how much of a budget are we talking?" Kurt adds with a smile as you pull out a cart.

"We have three hundred but we can't spend all of that on the decorations." You tell them, leading them towards the Halloween section of the store, "We still need the planks of wood and the paint and plenty other things just to build the actual set." You remind them, and sigh, running a hand through your hair.

"So how much are we looking to spend right now?"

"As little as we can, but I told you if need be then I'll dip into my own pocket, so don't worry too much about that." you wave it off and slow to a stop at the three aisles packed with Halloween decorations and costumes. "Okay." You breathe and open your purse, pulling out the folded list of things you need. "Kurt, this is your list," you say and rip the bottom of the list, handing it to him, "Mercedes, this yours," you do the same, handing her the next bit and then turn to Santana standing beside you with her hands resting on your cart, "And Santana." You hand her, her list with a smile before looking back at your own with all the building necessities. "Go on, children." You say playfully and all three roll their eyes with smiles and head off to find their things as you laugh softly at their reactions.

You spend the next ten or so minutes texting Rachel about the budget and progress on the house, Santana, Kurt, and Mercedes all coming around and dropping things from their lists in the cart. You put your phone in your back pocket and start writing down the price of each item on a piece of paper so you can calculate the total as you go, and furrow your brows, glancing to the side.

You jump and bite back a scream.

Santana snorts a laugh as she lowers the evil clown mask, shaking her head in amusement at you as you feel your face heat up due to embarrassment.

"So you're one of the people scared of clowns." She states with a pleased smile as you grab the mask and throw it in the cart roughly. Her grin grows in amusement and you shake your head.

"You can't trust clowns. They might look all happy but I can see behind all that makeup, they're not fooling me." You mumble, "Ever heard of Pogo the Clown?"

"No?" Santana frowns and you nod.

"Well if you did you'd understand." You say and Santana eyes you while holding back a laugh. "Don't laugh at me!" you smile, bumping her shoulder with yours. Santana laughs and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling at you. You hold her gaze as your smile falters faintly, before clearing your throat and looking down at your list. "So how much is the mask?"

Santana shifts and checks, mumbling the number and you write it down, lifting your head when Mercedes and Kurt come over with their arms filled. You chuckle at their sheepish looks and nod for them to drop everything in, quickly adding up the estimated total before announcing that was it. It takes ten minutes to get through a checkout and out of the store before you're pulling out of the parking lot and heading to Mercedes's house to drop her off.

You pull up in front of her house and look back at her, smiling gently as you reach back to hold back a few bags so she can get out. Your brows furrow when Kurt shifts over to follow.

"I thought I was dropping you at your house?" you ask in confusion and Kurt shakes his head, fixing his collar.

"Originally yes, but I figured I'd just finish up some homework here and my dad will pick me up on his way home from work." He nods and you wet your lips, nodding slowly.

"You're sure?"

"Positive." He chuckles and Mercedes closes the door, "My dad can give you a ride home too, Santana, if you want to study with us?"

You look at Santana and she lifts her brows, "Oh. I think I'm just going to head home. I'm actually really in the mood for a nap." She chuckles and you roll your eyes fondly, resting your head in your hand as you wait.

You let the teenagers talk for a few minutes longer before the two finally decide to head in, waving goodbye. You put the car back in drive and check the mirrors and out your window before pulling from the curb and starting down the road.

"Sorry."

You frown in confusion and glance at Santana looking at her phone, "For what?" you ask and she looks up and at you, shrugging.

"If I got out you could just go home instead of driving-"

"Santana, how many times do I have to tell you I'm perfectly fine with giving you a ride home?" you ask with an arched brow and a teasing smile.

"I know, but-"

"Seriously." You say, looking at her, "It's not a problem." You tell her, looking back at the road before glancing back at her.

"You're sure?" she asks and you nod, "Okay…"

You shake your head with a smile and reach forwards, turning the radio on while leaving the volume low, "You worry about the little things way too much."

"No I don't, I just don't want to come off as an annoyance."

"Too late for that I'm afraid." You joke and Santana scoffs lightly, making you glance at her. "I'm kidding."

"You better be."

You let out a laugh and turn a corner onto her street, shaking your head with a wide smile, "You're very confident when it's just the two of us."

"I'm always confident." She chuckles and you park in front of her house, turning to look at her.

"Not always. Sometimes you're more closed off. It's like you run over what you're going to say, and you're always cautious about how you act. Then there are other times when you just say whatever and act however you want."

Santana tilts her head, looking at you and you arch a brow, "Am I wrong?"

"No." she says after a moment, "I am careful with how I act and what I say. But I have my reasons." She shrugs and you hum.

"Which are?"

"None of your concern." She says with a playful smile.

You shake your head with a growing smile, resting it back in your hand as you watch Santana gather her things and open the door. "Thanks for the ride, Ms. Pierce." You give her a look and she clears her throat, "Brittany. Thanks for the ride, _Brittany_."

"You're welcome." You say quietly, watching her get out of the vehicle, "See you tomorrow."

Santana bumps the door closed with her shoulder and does a double take, nodding, "See you tomorrow."

Your lips twitch into a small smile and Santana's do the same before she ducks her head and takes a few steps back, glancing back at you while biting her lip to keep her smile from growing. You roll your eyes, your cheeks heating quickly and adjust your gear shift, glancing back at the retreating teenager before pulling away from the house.

* * *

 **A/N: So let me know what you all think, I love the feedback ;) Also, next update: Sunday! Mwah!**

 **-B**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Chapter Eight! Keep in mind while reading, there is a day jump after the first chapter separation.**

 **-B**

* * *

 **October, 2020** :

"Mercedes, run the audio for me." You call to the diva as you look around the first section of the haunted house.

You were making good time with the construction and decoration with the Halloween school celebration at the end of the week. It looked pretty damn awesome, if you do say so yourself. You have seven sections. The whole path is completely black which knocks off the fear of darkness; it was the easiest fear to get done. The first being spiders which is incorporated not only in the first part of the haunted house, but throughout the entirety, and has spider webs attached to the painted black planks of wood creating the walls, as well as spider webs hanging from the curtain overtop, closing off the house. The second section was ghosts where you have a small fans, gently blowing from each side of the path, causing hung black cloth cut outs to blow and brush against whoever walks through.

It's the best the group could come up with so you didn't judge.

Third is murder, where Marcus is behind a clear plastic window dressed as a manic butcher and when a group walks in a corner light flickers as a loud scream recording goes off with the boy banging on the plastic holding his fake knife.

Forth, Santana's idea for the drop in the floor. As people move on from the manic butcher section, there is a subtly incline made from wood and a black tarp. When everyone continues on they drop a good foot, hopefully giving them that mini heart attack like missing a step of the stairs.

And after that drop they enter the snake pit, as Kurt likes to call it, with a lot of fake snakes and baby rattles to make rattle snake sounds when they're kicked.

The sixth section, after the snake pit, is death and a wooden coffin the boys built sits in the middle of the path with Kurt laying inside, one of the other students standing dressed as the grim reaper at the base of the coffin.

And finally the seventh section, fucking clowns. Where Sam will be dressed as one and chase the students out.

You hear the crow's quiet calling throughout the gym and look over to Mercedes and one of the other's you don't remember the name of as they stand behind a table with the audio controls. Mercedes smiles and lifts her brows for approval and you give her a thumbs up before looking into the haunted house. You huff and go inside, checking over everything for the umpteenth time.

You roll your eyes at Marcus banging on the plastic glass while making stupid faces before he starts laughing hysterically at himself. You shake your head and continue on, minding the drop, and nod at the fair amount of rattling.

You continue on to the death area and arch a brow at Kurt standing next to the ladder Santana is standing on, watching her hang more spider webs. He does a double take at you and smiles sheepishly before hurrying to grab some of the fake bones you managed to score. You watch him in amusement as he places them around the coffin before going into the snake pit to decorate further, and then look at Santana.

"Okay…hand me a bit more." Santana says and you cross your arms and tilt your head, watching her hold her hand out and snap her fingers. "Kurt, I haven't got all day!" she hisses before glancing to where the boy was once standing. She groans and starts down the ladder, missing a step.

You move automatically as Santana yelps in panic, and keep her from tumbling backwards with one arm while at the same time awkwardly keeping the ladder from falling.

"Jesus…" she breathes in relief and you laugh quietly, removing your hand from her lower back to fix the ladder. "Thanks." She says after clearing her throat and you nod, glancing back at her and quickly look over her.

"Are you okay? You didn't twist an ankle or something right?"

"No, no, I'm fine." She chuckles softly, running a hand slowly through her hair. You look to the side to avoid staring at the action, and then look at the spider webs hung. "Does it look okay?"

You nod, "It looks great."

You look back at Santana with a reassuring smile and she lets out a breath, nodding, "Good. I'm so ready to be done with this volunteering."

"Oh come on!" you grin, resting a hand on one of the ladder steps as you put your weight on your left leg, "Are you trying to tell me you didn't have any fun with this?"

"None."

"Bullshit." You call and she gasps dramatically. You roll your eyes making her smile and laugh. "Seriously though."

She glances to the floor and shrugs, slowly walking to the coffin where she leans against it, "It wasn't bad. I got to hang out with Mercedes and Kurt more than I usually do."

"As well as your favorite teacher." You add.

"Eh." She tilts her hand in the _so-so_ motion and you snort. "I'm just ready to be done. I need my afterschool naps to function properly."

"What you need is to realize you're no longer in kindergarten." You tease.

"Ha-ha." She deadpans and you bite your lip to keep from actually laughing. You pull your phone out to check the time and tuck it back away. "Time to go?" she asks hopefully and you nod. The two of you exit the haunted house, Santana jabbing Sam in the face when he pops out with his clown mask as you jump a foot in the air.

* * *

"This is it, guys!" you announce with both nerves and excitement. It was the day and in less than twenty minutes students will be showing up to the gym hoping to get the crap scared out of them. You don't think that will happen, maybe a little fright but nothing too great.

You rub your hands together as your team gathers in front of you and you all put your hands in, throwing them up on the count of three with a "House of Fears!", before everyone goes to their posts.

You check the gym clock and worry your lip between your teeth as you glance up at Santana moving to sit at the table next to the entrance of the haunted house where the two of you will be taking tickets to let students go inside.

Your eyes run up the back of her legs until they reach the bottom of her, slightly slutty, nurse outfit. And oh good lord how she worked that costume.

You clamp your eyes closed as you swallow roughly.

It was so wrong. Thinking of Santana like this. It was undeniable that you found her attractive. Extremely attractive.

As well as smart.

And funny.

And sweet.

 _No_ , you curse yourself and groan inwardly as you open your eyes. Santana sucks on her bottom lip as she rearranges the cash boxes on top of the table and lifts her gaze, slowly smiling at you.

Fuck.

You offer a smile back and when you hear the excited chatter of students making their way towards the gym, you reluctantly move to Santana's side, sitting down and subtly shifting your chair farther from hers.

The crowd comes quick and soon the line to go through the haunted house is ending at the end of the hall outside the doors.

You smile and take another round of bills, putting it in the cash box and tell the students to move to the entrance but wait for you to tell them to go. You wait for a group to come screaming out of the exit before you nod at the group waiting to go in.

"Be honest," you look away from the entrance and smile at Kieran standing with some football friends behind him as he looks between you and Santana with a smile, "Is this worth my two dollars?"

"Damn right it is." Santana says with a smirk while snatching his money and tucking it away. Kieran smiles widely at her as his friends all snicker over his love sick puppy look, and you rest your arms on the table, waiting.

"Who are you supposed to be?" you ask with an arched brow and Kieran frowns, looking over his costume.

"I'm McKinley Royalty." He states like it should be obvious and your jaw drops in disbelief.

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"What, that's what everyone believes so might as well entertain the idea." He shrugs as you shake your head. "Hey, it's better than whatever you are. What are you supposed to be? I swear if you say your alter ego-"

You arch a brow, "I thought it was obvious I'm dressed as a Physics teacher."

Santana laughs quietly, continuing to take money, as Kieran pulls his head back with a dropped jaw of his own, his friends hunched over laughing.

"That's not a costume." Kieran says and you click your tongue.

"It is so. In reality I'm a biology teacher."

"You can't even tell the difference."

"Why are you arguing?" you laugh and Kieran huffs, mumbling under his breath as he leads his friends to the haunted house entrance. You motion for them to head in and then shake your head with an amused smile.

"You're terrible." Santana comments and you turn to look at her, smirking victoriously.

"I'm quick."

"You're a geek." She states and you scoff.

"And you're an underdressed nurse."

Santana lifts a brow with the hint of a smile and keeps her gaze on you while accepting money, "Is that your way of saying this is a slutty costume?"

"I'm neither confirming nor denying." You shrug and Santana snorts, looking at the cash box.

"Whatever, you like it."

"Again, neither confirming nor denying." You grin slyly as Santana hums, side glancing you as you watch with an amused smile.

"I'll be sure to remember you have a kink for slutty nurse costumes." She says quietly and you ignore the shot of arousal travelling between your legs as you wet your lips.

"I don't have a kink." You mumble and Santana laughs, nodding skeptically. "Seriously, I'm not like that." you insist.

Santana motions for a group to go in and then turns to you, leaning forwards. You flinch when her hand lands on the chair, right next to your thigh, and she tilts her head, "You're blushing." She states softly and you take a breath before clearing your throat. She arches a knowing brow and the both of you look towards Kieran when he steps out of the house forcing a laugh with his friends.

Santana leans back, mumbling a 'sorry', and tucks her hair behind her ear, smiling when Kieran comes back over.

* * *

You finish counting the money and write down the total on a post it note before placing it in the box with the cash and closing it altogether when you hear footsteps behind you. You glance over your shoulder and smile faintly at Santana slowing her steps.

"I'm not a scared little animal, Miss Lopez. Why are you approaching me as if I am?" you ask, looking back at the boxes. You wince when the lock makes a loud click before letting out a sigh and turning completely. "Santana?" you call softly, ducking your head to catch her eye.

She lifts her head and forces a quick smile before looking around absentmindedly.

"Okay, what's going on?" you ask, crossing your arms as you lean back against the table.

She wets her lips slowly before furrowing her brows as she hesitates.

"Are you pissed…at me?" she asks and your eyebrows lift in surprise.

"Why would I be pissed at you?"

She drops her shoulders and shakes her head, "I don't know."

"Have I done something to make you think that?" you tilt your head and she shakes her head again, crossing her arms as she holds her nurse dress in front of her. She was now just dressed in leggings and an oversized hoodie. So simple and yet she still looked beautiful.

You scold yourself silently as you wait for Santana to give you an answer.

"Well, no, I just…I mean for what I said. Earlier. About the nurse-"

"I know what you're talking about." You chuckle and grab the cash box as well as your blazer. You motion for her to follow you and she turns slowly, falling in line with you after you close the gym doors behind you. "I'm not mad. Why would I be?"

"Because I was-that isn't like a normal conversation to have with one's teacher." She says with a groan.

"That's true, but I'm not only your teacher." You tell her and she looks at you with wide eyes. "I'm also your boyfriend's aunt." You remind her and she glances to the floor, nodding, "We've been around each other outside of school quite a lot. We're comfortable to a certain degree and there is that playful aspect to our relationship so-"

"Relationship…" she repeats slowly, eyeing you.

"Friendship." You correct quickly, "Acquaintanceship? I don't know what we'd call our situation."

Its quiet the rest of the way to your classroom and then to the office before you're finally out of the school.

"Friendship." She says, breaking the silence as you head to your individual vehicles.

"What?"

"As weird as it is claiming to be friends with a _teacher_ ," she says, pausing to catch your reaction at her words, "I consider you a friend." She states with a nod.

"I'm not giving you a good grade on your test for that." you tell her with a smile and she laughs, shaking her head.

"You should know by now I don't need you to alter a mark, I do well enough on my own."

"Confident Santana is back." You tease as you stop at the door of your truck. Santana shrugs innocently and you roll your eyes. "Well then, my friend," Santana ducks her head, hiding a smile, "I'm sure I'll see you this weekend. You're always over." You feign a grimace and Santana nods.

"Kieran needs to cut the cord." She plays along.

You let out a laugh and open your door, pulling yourself into the truck before putting the key in the ignition, "Don't even joke about that around him. The kid is sensitive." You continue and she nods, stepping back.

"I'll see you later, Miss Pierce." She grins and before you can scold her for the in school title, she's halfway to her own car.

* * *

 **A/N: A little flirting going on ;) Next update: Tuesday and it may be a double just because.**

 **-B**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Alright, so here's chapter nine, guys, hope you like this one, mwah!**

 **-B**

* * *

"Well just help me. The red or the blue?"

"I really don't care, just pick one."

"Which looks better?"

"Holy shit, Kieran! Just pick a damn shirt!"

You glance towards the stairs and then look back at your freshman class textbook, dropping your chin into your hand as you read over the page. The class was already moving onto Astronomy and personally that's one of your favorite subjects to teach. It's just different from the regular sciences and it's actually really fun.

You flip the page and continue to read as the two teenagers come down from getting ready for a party.

"You're sure the red one?" Kieran mumbles and you glance over at him as the two walk into the kitchen. You look over his clothes, skinny khakis, a red shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and brown canvas shoes; arching a brow when he brushes the front of his shirt for the fifth time.

"How hard is it to choose?" Santana groans, grabbing a glass of water, "They're the exact same shirt just two different colors."

"I was just asking which you prefer." Kieran shoots back and you mumble under your breath. "Britt, does the red go or should I wear that navy blue one?"

You lift your gaze and drop your hand from supporting your head, giving him a bored look, "I really don't care. I'm working."

Kieran throws his arms up in defeat and spins around to head back up the stairs.

You shake your head at his retreating figure and return your focus to the chapter. You get through to the next page when you feel Santana staring at you. You slowly look at her and she smiles in amusement.

"What, I'm working!" you whine and she chuckles, nodding and moving around the island to take the stool beside you.

"Is it for my class?"

"My freshmen."

She hums and leans closer to look over the textbook, grimacing at the chapter, "I hated astronomy."

"How can you hate astronomy?" you gasp, "It's so interesting."

"It's really not." She shakes her head, taking a sip of her water. You scoff and open your laptop, opening your freshmen lesson folder.

You glance back at her as she watches what's going on, on the screen, and hold back a laugh, "Shouldn't you be helping Kieran?"

Santana glances over and rolls her eyes, "If I have to spend one more minute with that boy arguing over what shirt he should wear, I'm going to snap." She tells you pointedly and you grin.

"He just wants to look good for you."

"I don't care how he dresses. I care about how long it takes him. I'm always ready at least fifteen minutes before him."

"Is that right?" you ask, looking over her. She shifts and nods, sighing as she holds her chin in her hand. "I'm having trouble believing that."

"I prep beforehand. It takes me ten minutes to do my hair and another ten for makeup. Then I throw my clothes on. Not that hard."

"Mhm…" you trail off skeptically and Santana bumps your arm with her elbow, making you laugh. "Okay, okay."

"I don't even want to go to this lame party." She mumbles and you frown, turning on the stool to face her fully.

"Why not? You're a teenager and every teenager like to party."

"So not true."

"Okay, the majority of teenagers like to party."

"Yeah but I'm not the majority." She says, turning her head to rest her cheek in her hand while looking at you, "Honestly I'd rather just hang out with you and look over this stuff." She waves her other hand towards your laptop and textbook as you smile gently at her.

"This isn't how I'm spending my Saturday night." You watch her brows furrow in confusion and you chuckle, "I'm not that lame. I'm meeting some friends for drinks after dropping you two off because Derek is stuck at work." You finish with an eye roll.

Santana just grins and stares while you move your knee and turn her stool.

"You're such a child." She laughs, turning back around and you shrug with a playful glint in your eye. You hold each other's gaze for a good minute before Santana's smile turns shy and her eyes drop to her lap. You feel your smile grow at her sudden shyness and feel your cheeks heat up when she looks at you through her lashes.

You take a breath and Santana tilts her head, her smile growing once again before it disappears from her face as you jump.

"Okay!"

Santana looks over your shoulder and you turn on the stool to look at Kieran entering the kitchen and holding his hands on his hips.

"The blue is better, right?" he asks the two of you and you shrug carelessly as Santana pinches the bridge of her nose. "Do we want to go now?" he asks.

You glance at the time and nod. Half an hour before you are supposed to meet everyone. Now is as good a time as any.

"If you're ready then yeah, we can go." You tell him and close your laptop as well as your teachers textbook. You side glance Santana as she reluctantly slides off the stool, and offer a faint smile as you pack your things in your large tote bag.

Kieran and Santana head to the door and you follow while pulling out your keys and making sure all the lights in the house are off. You unlock your truck as the three of you step out onto the porch and the teenagers head over while you lock up the boy's house with your copy of the key.

You open the door and get behind the wheel, arching a brow at Kieran climbing into the back.

"What?" he asks with a smile.

You make a whipped sound and Kieran rolls his eyes with a faint blush as Santana shifts beside you with the hint of a smile as she glances your way.

"Okay, first things first." You say as you turn the truck on and pull it into reverse, "How are you getting back from the party?"

"I thought you were picking us up." Kieran says and you widen your eyes.

"You never asked me that!"

Your nephew starts to laugh and Santana looks behind her at him, shaking her head, "You're an ass." She comments as you narrow your eyes at him using the review mirror.

"I was just kidding, babe."

Santana shakes her head and sits properly as you look back at Kieran, "So?" you ask and he nods.

"Sam's letting me crash at his place and Santana," he pauses, looking at her with a frown, "Kurt's driving you back, right?"

She nods and you look over her subtly with a faint grin before glancing at Kieran and nodding, "Okay, good. Just know that you can call me if you need to."

* * *

"About time your sorry ass got here!"

Rachel slides off her stool and grabs your arm, pulling you back to the bar when she spots you walking in, and you chuckle, letting yourself be dragged over to your friends.

"Already a few martini's in I see, eh, Rach?" you tease as you take the stool beside Quinn, Rachel settling on her left. "Q." you greet, holding back a smirk, as the blonde lifts her beer in reply. You let out a laugh and turn, leaning forwards to call the bartenders attention.

"Do my eyes deceive me or is teacher of the year, Ms. Brittany Pierce actually taking a night off to relax?"

Your eyes roll as you give the muscular man a fond smile, "Nice to see you too, Puckerman."

Puck grins his boyish grin and drapes a dish towel over his shoulder before picking up a glass and filling it with your preference of beer.

"It's been a while, how's my favorite blonde?" he asks and places the glass in front of you. You wrap your hands around it as you shrug, your lips twitching in amusement when he drops his shoulders with a pointed look.

"Excuse me?" Quinn gasps, glaring harmlessly at Puck.

"You're my favorite hazel eyed blonde. Britt is my favorite blue eyed blonde. Just like Rach is my favorite Jewish Princess." He send the short brunette a playful wink and you snort while taking a gulp of beer.

"Same old Noah." You say with a smile as you lower your glass. Quinn chuckles and Puck rolls his eyes, looking to the side when someone calls for another shot.

"So where's my boy, Finn?" Puck asks before moving down the bar to deal with the other customers.

When there is no reply you look at Quinn who shrugs, and then the both of you look over at Rachel playing with the straw of her martini.

"Rach?" Quinn asks.

"Mhm?"

You chuckle quietly at her thoughtful expression as she stares at the counter, and pick up a peanut from the little dish on the counter, hitting her in the middle of her forehead with it. Rachel jumps and sends you a look to which you rest your elbows on the counter and tilt your head towards Puck, who had just rejoined the three of you.

"What?"

"Where's Finn?" Puck laughs and Rachel blushes faintly.

"Oh, sorry…" she mumbles before straightening her back and wetting her lips, "He should be here any minute. You know him. He's always late."

"More so than Brittany." Quinn nods in agreement and you arch a brow, reaching for another peanut. "Don't even think about it." You drop the nut in the bowl with a pleased smirk and wrap your hand around your glass, lifting it to your lips just as Finn walks over, squeezing into the space between you and Quinn with a grin.

"Get out of here, loser." You laugh, pushing him back.

Finn chuckles and takes the empty stool on your other side, doing a little handshake with Puck who slides him a bottle of beer, "So what did I miss?"

"Before we got on the topic of your whereabouts, we were discussing how Britt is a workaholic." Puck says, resting his hands on the counter while Finn nods slowly in agreement, lowering his bottle.

"Yeah, you're kind of like Schuester with how invested in your kids you are." Finn mumbles with a wince and your jaw drops as Quinn, Rachel, and Puck burst out laughing.

"Schuester was borderline pedophile, I am not." You state firmly, picking up a peanut. You throw it at Quinn, wiping under her eyes as she continues to have a fit, and scowl at Rachel and Puck until they stop laughing. "You'd better shut your trap, _caboosey_."

Quinn gasps sharply, glaring at you and you arch a challenging bow as Puck snorts, Rachel hiding her growing smile by wrapping her lips around her martini straw.

"Alright, I didn't mean to start a fight." Finn grins, putting his hand on your shoulder.

You huff and spin back around to face the bar, taking a gulp of your beer, "Whatever, let's change the topic."

"I agree. Change it to something like, I don't know, what the hell is going on with you two?" Puck asks with a wicked grin, looking between Finn and Rachel. You bite your lip and glance at Rachel as she tenses, Finn shifting awkwardly. "Oh come on, you guys. We all know something's going on."

"Nothing is going on, Noah." Rachel says as you and Quinn wait patiently.

"Babe, I'm not an idiot."

"Seriously, dude, just forget about it." Finn mumbles and Puck throws his hands up.

"What? You're both so quiet and nervous and shit and-"

"Puck, let's just stay out of it." You say, Quinn nodding in agreement. Puck gives you a look and you shrug. "Or don't."

"Brittany!"

"What?" you hold a hand out, looking at Rachel, "Look, it's true, we all know something is going on. I mean I know a bit and I'm sure Quinn does as well, and Puck knows something is going on, so stop with all the secretive shit and just let it all go."

You look away from Rachel and to Finn who glances up from his beer with a slight frown. It's quiet as everyone looks around at each other before Finn sighs and rubs the back of his neck, "We broke up. Like a few weeks ago."

"You broke up!" you exclaim, looking at Rachel who is glaring at Finn.

"Sorry, Rach, but they're right. Now it won't be a huge secret and we can just move on." He mumbles.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me you actually broke up." You frown before looking at Quinn, "Did you know?"

"No one told me but I kind of figured." She shrugs, "I mean, usually they're all over each other in the teachers' lounge but you barely see them together anymore."

"Thank you very much, Quinn, for speaking as though we're not right here." Rachel scoffs and you let out a sigh, shaking your head in slight surprise as you grab your glass. You really didn't expect them to break up, even though Rachel had told you there was someone else on her radar, or more so didn't deny it…actually she did just not in a convincing way. You thought she'd tell you before she was going to break it off. Maybe Finn broke it off instead. You tilt your head in thought and blink repeatedly, looking at Puck when he snaps in front of you with a grin.

"There she is." He jokes and you swat his hand away from your face.

"What do you want?"

"I asked if there was anything exciting going on with _your_ love life."

Your smile falters as your mind shifts to Santana, and you clear your throat, shaking your head as you put on a faint smile, "If something was going on I'm sure you'd already know." You tell them and lift your beer to your lips.

* * *

 **A/N: So you met the boys in Britt's friend group.** **Four McKinley graduates are now teaching at their school, and Puck owns a bar.**

 **In regards to Faberry being a thing, I don't know if I'm leaning that way or not; but if you guys wanted it then maybe I could incorporate it?**

 **-B**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So this was a double post, remember? Just make sure you read chapter nine before continuing!**

 **-B**

* * *

 **November, 2020** :

"Ms. Pierce?"

You look up from your students sheet and nod to the other freshman holding his hand up, before returning your gaze to the paper. You finish up explaining one of the questions in the booklet and give the girl a smile before heading over to the boy.

"What's up?" you ask, putting your hand on your hip as you look over his shoulder at his paper.

"I don't really get how you calculate the distance from the planets and everything." He mumbles quietly and you nod in understanding, holding your hand out for his pen.

"That's okay, it can be difficult wrapping your head around it at first." You give him an encouraging smile and crouch down, pulling the paper closer. "Okay so first you draw the lines to give you a visual representation…" the boy, Kenny, nods slowly, accepting the pencil back from you and draws out the lines before following your further instructions to label the measurements that were given in the question.

You nod and point down at the paper, "Okay, now you divide…" you glance up and do a double take, your lips parting in surprise and slight awe. You clear your throat, "Um, excuse me for a second."

Kenny looks up at you and you give a smile telling him that he's on the right track and to continue, before you look back at the door, your brows furrowing at the empty doorway. You walk over, and step out into the hall, swallowing as you look over Santana standing in the hall, looking over her shoulder.

Your eyes drop to quickly run over the red and white uniform, clinging to the brunette in all the right places, and lift them when Santana turns around, jumping slightly.

"Oh, hey!" she smiles widely and you clear your throat with a smile.

"Hey," you chuckle and nod towards her, "You're a Cheerio?"

Santana looks down at her uniform and nods, tilting her head as she looks back at you with a warm smile, "I am."

"Since when?" you arch a brow, crossing your arms before glancing around the empty hall.

"Since the beginning of the year."

"Wait, why didn't I know that?"

"You never asked." You catch that smirk and Santana's eyes twinkle knowingly before you scoff and look around. "Anyway, I don't usually wear the uniform in school, unless it's mandatory that day. My title makes people act fake around me and I don't have time for that."

"Which would be what?"

"Co-captain." She shrugs and you smile.

"Seriously? Copycat."

"Whatever." She chuckles, looking at the floor.

"Is there a reason you're standing outside my door or…"

"We have a competition at 3:00 and coach Sue-"

"That woman." You scrunch your nose at the mention of the she devil. How and why she is still coaching, and at McKinley no less, will always be mystery to you.

"She wants us to get there a few hours earlier to practice and then rest before it starts, and to do that…" she trails off, glancing up at you while biting her lip nervously.

You let out a sigh and ignore the flutter from the look you're receiving, "You need to miss my class. You have a test."

Santana nods slowly and holds her binder closer to her body while taking a small step forwards, "I know it's totally inconvenient and I feel really bad for even having to ask-"

"You can take the test tomorrow, Santana." You say gently after taking a breath. She looks at you with wide eyes and you shrug, uncrossing your arms to run a hand through your wavy hair before resting both hands on your hips. "I'm assuming I should excuse Lora and Denise as well."

"Yeah, sorry." She winces and you wave it off.

"It's fine, I vividly remember how intense Sue Sylvester can be when it comes to competitions. That woman is all kinds of crazy…" you mumble with furrowed brows as you think back. A shiver runs down your spine and Santana cracks a grin and lets out a quiet giggle bringing you back. "You can take it during lunch or spare."

"If I say spare will you be supervising?" she asks with a tilt of her head and you arch a suspicious brow with a faint smile.

"Of course. It's my test."

She nods, glancing around while biting her lip to keep her smile from growing and glances back at you, "And if I give up my lunch?"

You snort and shift your weight onto your left leg, crossing your arms again, "Still me." She nods thoughtfully and you roll your eyes fondly, straightening, "I _do_ have a class I should be supervising; you realize that, yes?"

Santana clicks her tongue and leans forwards, forcing less distance between the two of you as you swallow, "Let's do lunch." She says softly, looking between your eyes with her head tilted slightly to the left; a soft smile plastered across her face.

"Lunch?" you repeat to make sure, while wetting your lips.

Santana's lips twitch and she nods before leaning back and straightening her back, "Lunch."

"Okay." You nod after clearing your throat, silently praying your face isn't burning beet red.

"Okay." She mimics while preforming one of those captivating slow turns, her eyes still locked onto yours, "See you tomorrow, Ms. Pierce."

"Y-yeah." You gulp, watching the brunette turn the corner of the hallway, and jump when the bell rings.

* * *

You walk out of your classroom, turning the lights off as you go, and fix the collar of your coat like all the other teachers and students leaving the building. It's finally time to head home and you couldn't be more thankful. When it came time for your senior class, you were beyond exhausted. It just hit you out of the blue. No warnings. No yawning, tired eyes beforehand. It was like your power switch was flipped and you were immediately drained.

But now you can go home and just sleep.

You huff and cross your arms over your chest as you step outside into the cold.

You make it to your truck quickly and slide in, turning the vehicle on before cranking the heat and pulling out your phone to check your messages.

 **New Message From: Kieran**

 **Are you coming over after school? We're watching Santana's cheerleading competition with dinner.**

A long, tired groan passes your lips and you let your head fall forwards until your forehead is resting against the steering wheel. Looks like you won't be getting the nap after all.

* * *

"Coffee."

"What?" Kieran frowns as you step inside the house. "And why'd you knock?" he chuckles. You glance at him as he walks by, and pull your coat off, hanging it in the closet before going to the kitchen to place your bag near the table.

You pull the sleeve of your sweater and turn around, giving your nephew a forced smile as he looks at you while pulling a mug down.

"What kind?"

"That Italian roast, please." You mumble while sitting on a stool. He nods and turns on the coffee machine, eyeing you as you cross your arms on the counter and rest your chin on your folded arms.

"Are you not feeling well?"

"I'm just extremely tired." You mumble and let your eyes close for the first time since they opened this morning. Your shoulders slump and you let out a yawn before sighing contently.

Kieran chuckles and you hear him bring out the creamer and pour you a cup of coffee before a steaming cup is placed on the island counter in front of you.

"You're my favorite nephew." You mumbles tiredly.

"I'm your only nephew." He corrects and you hum, wrapping your hands around the cup. Basking in the warmth it gives off, you roll your shoulders and open your eyes, blinking slowly at the blond boy in front of you wearing an amused grin.

"How are we supposed to watch the competition? It was live, wasn't it?"

"We have it recorded." He states obviously and you roll your eyes while the two of you head for the hall. "We're watching it in the basement." He says and you stop, furrowing your brows.

"We only use that TV for the big games and movie marathons."

"Yeah well." He shrugs and lifts his hand to run it through his hair after shaking it out. You and Kieran look at the door when it opens and Derek walks in, pausing when he sees the two of you staring.

"Can I help you?" he asks slowly and you just take a long sip of your coffee and head down to the basement.

You hear Kieran and Derek talking above you and flick on the lights in the basement, stepping off the stairs. The carpet is soft beneath your feet, that really fluffy carpet that you could just sleep on without a mattress. It's tempting too. Then you look at the couch.

"Thank god." You pert near moan at the sight and walk to the couch pressed up against the far wall, directly across from the fifty inch flat screen. You slip through the space between the coffee table and the love seat, placing your cup on a coaster before dropping down onto the couch.

Letting out a long sigh, you pull one of the couch pillows under your head, and relax, closing your eyes before drifting off.

* * *

You hear a click and peek your eyes open, frowning at the phone held in front of your face. It's pulled back as you blink and stretch out, pushing yourself up on one arm as Santana settles back on her knees on the floor.

"Did you just take a picture of me sleeping?"

"A snapchat pic, but yes." She nods, tapping away on her phone, "Kieran and Derek sent me down to get you to come up and get your food." She says, "I sent Kieran the pic asking if I should wake you." You lift your hand to cover your mouth as you let a small yawn slip, and Santana looks at you with a smile, "He said to let you sleep."

"Well I'm up now." You mumble and Santana snorts in amusement, moving to the couch. You pull your feet back, sitting properly and Santana grabs her plate of pizza from the table, pulling her legs under her. "Pizza?"

"Yup." She looks at you with a knowing smile and you shift, glancing at the stairs, "I can text Kieran to bring you a plate." She chuckles and you smirk.

"You should absolutely do that."

She shakes her head with a smile and puts her pizza down, looking at her hands before nodding to her phone on the table, "My hands are greasy."

You arch a brow and snatch her phone, sliding your finger across her screen, "What's the passcode."

"Seven, six, four, nine." she tells you easily before taking a bite of her food.

"Just like that?"

"When will you ever have my phone again?"

You scoff and open her messages before looking at her with a pointed look, "The next time I catch you texting in my class."

"I don't-"

"You do realize that I invented hiding your phone behind your calculator cover?" you ask slowly and Santana's smile falters slightly at being caught. "Mhm…" you smirk and open her conversation with Kieran. "Should you be letting me do this? I'd rather not read your sexts with my nephew."

"As long as you don't scroll up you should be in the clear."

You slowly look at her and she tries hiding her smile by taking a large bite of pizza. You roll your eyes and make a new message.

 **New Message To: Kieran Pierce**

 **Bring a plate down for Britt. Two pepperoni.**

You scratch your head and pull one foot onto the couch, resting your elbow on top of it as you wait for him to reply.

 **New Message: Kieran Pierce**

 **I thought she was sleeping?"**

 **New Message To: Kieran Pierce**

 **Hurry up.**

"Are you making sure you sound like me?"

You furrow your brows and look at Santana as she chews her bite, watching you in amusement.

"What?"

"In the texts. Do you sound like me?"

"I don't know?" you laugh, "He's not cooperating."

"What'd you say?"

"I said, bring a plate down for Britt. Two pepperoni." You tell her and she smiles, nodding for you to continue, "Then he said that he thought I was sleeping. So I replied with hurry up."

"Okay, has he started typing yet?"

"He's typing now." You tell her as you watch the three dots blinking.

"Say 'just bring the damn food, idiot'." She nods and you eye her before doing so. Kieran's dots disappear and you shrug, putting her phone back on the table before checking your coffee and scrunching your nose at the cold temperature. She chuckles and you frown at her, putting the mug back on the table before leaning back in the couch and looking at her.

"So how was the competition?"

"You'll just have to watch, won't you?" she smirks playfully and you narrow your eyes at her. "Have the Cheerio's ever lost, Britt?"

"Good point." You nod before tilting your head, "You're calling me Britt now?" you smile and she flips her hair over her shoulder, shrugging.

"You obviously want me to." She motions towards her phone and you smile faintly, clearing your throat. You glance back at her and Santana wipes her hands with her napkin before scrunching it into a ball and putting the plate on the table.

"Bring a plate down for Brittany just didn't sound right." You mumble and she hums, nodding skeptically with a smile before the two of you look at the stairs; Derek and Kieran coming down.

* * *

"Babe, you were amazing!" Kieran gushes for the umpteenth time and you hold back an eye roll as you lean forwards on the island counter, looking at the teenagers while Derek puts the leftover pizza in the fridge.

"I wasn't amazing, I was good." Santana corrects and you look at her in disbelief, "I landed too hard on the last flip."

"That's ridiculous, you were perfect."

"Says the boy who doesn't consider cheerleading a sport." Santana gives him a pointed look and you scoff.

"I forgot about that." you glare harmlessly at Kieran and he holds his hands up in defense, running down to grab his phone. "Anyway, Santana, your landing was great, don't even try it."

"Be that as it may, I bet yours would have been better." She says, spinning slowly on the stool. You watch her and nod slowly.

"That's true."

"Britt!" Derek laughs, throwing a hand towel at you. You open your eyes with a frown and toss it back at him.

"What? I was such a badass cheerio. One of the best."

"Actually coach Sue often pulls out tapes of you and your squad performing. You and Ms. Fabray are undoubtedly her favorites." She rolls her eyes and you grin proudly, taking a sip of your water. You give Derek a smug look and he shakes his head with a faint smile, excusing himself to his office after giving Santana a fatherly one armed hug which she returns easily.

You watch him leave and look back at Santana. The both of you smile secretively before starting to laugh and Santana pulls her hair over her right shoulder, shaking her head.

"Really though, you were amazing." You tell her honestly and Santana shrugs.

"I practice a lot."

"That's good." You nod, looking at your glass as you lift it.

"I'm serious, Sue literally forced me to sit in her office and with older tapes and watch you throughout the routines."

You pause from taking a drink and glance towards the stairs, waiting for Kieran to come up, and look over to Santana staring at her phone as she chews lightly on her bottom lip.

"Well that's…" you clear your throat and Santana glances at you, "Good. Learn from the best, right?" you wink teasingly and Santana huffs, glaring at you.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright! So let me know what you all thought. Some more of the Pierce family in this one. Ouuu and the next ones coming up are pretty fun so that's exciting.**

 **Next update: Thursday.**

 **-B**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Aand here's Chapter 11**

 **-B**

* * *

 **December, 2020:**

"Alright, everyone!" you clap your hands together and look at the clock as the class settles down. Five minutes. You nod and look over the students, your eyes landing on Santana as she nods at something Tina says before looking at you. She smiles slowly and you look away, smiling at everyone, "This is that last time we see each other before exam study starts up in the New Year."

The students start cheering and you chuckle fondly as you watch them high fiving their friends and smiling at each other.

You glance back towards Santana to find her eyes wide as she awkwardly pats Tina's shoulder as the Asian girl hugs her. You hold back a laugh and Santana looks to you for help. You offer a shrug and she scowls harmlessly.

"Okay, okay, as I was saying, exams are just around the corner which means that once again I will be starting up the study group."

A hand lifts up high and you look at Santana, nodding.

She lowers her hand, glancing around the room before leaning forwards, "What exactly is this study group?"

"Basically whoever wants to can come to my class between four and five thirty to study for exams."

"Like all at once?"

"I'll be putting a schedule up so everyone knows when we can meet. For example, freshman would come after school on the eighth, thirteenth, and sixteenth. Then there would be scheduled times for my juniors and seniors." You explain, sitting on the edge of your desk with your legs crossed.

Santana nods and you look away from her, "Any more questions? I know we'll have two weeks of class before exams begin but just to move ahead?" you look around and wait from someone to raise their hand before nodding when nobody else does. "Okay, well then I'm going to hand you all back your tests. I would've liked to go over the answers but we don't have time; we'll just have to do that when you get back. Okay, Daniel." You begin to call their names and they get up one by one to receive their tests back.

"Tina." You watch the girl get up, saying goodbye to Santana, and smile at her while handing her test back, "Great job." She smiles shyly and nods, looking at her paper while leaving and you chuckle, reading the next name. "Miss Lopez." You smile, looking at her through your lashes as she gets up, pushing her chair in, "Hopefully you can keep this up for the exam." You tease quietly, handing her test over.

"Care to make a bet?" she asks with a grin.

You snort a chuckle and nod for her to get going, calling up the next student.

* * *

"Drinks tonight?"

You look behind you, turning and drop your shoulders when Quinn arches her brows expectantly.

"I can't."

"Bullshit you can't." she laughs as the two of you begin to walk towards the office for a small meeting with the principle.

You side eye Quinn as she takes a sip of her coffee, and narrow your eyes suspiciously, "You've been asking everyone to get drinks a lot recently." You say and she shrugs, "No like twice a week. It's almost as if you're pulling that same shit from high school."

"What shit?" Quinn asks, keeping her gaze forwards as you turn a corner.

"That shit where you want to hang out with one person but invite everyone so it's not obvious you have a thing for that one person." You state easily. Quinn hums, taking another sip of her coffee as you narrow your eyes further. You let out a sigh when she arches a brow, and look ahead of you as you come to the office. "You know, hiding things from your supposed best friend is bullshit." You tell her before heading into the office.

You say hello to Donna and continue into Figgins' office already crowded with the other teachers.

"Glad you two ladies could join us." Figgins says with his heavy accent and pointed look. You purse your lips, glancing at Quinn before looking back at your old principle. You furrow your brows trying to figure out how old he is. Shouldn't he have retired by now? "Ms. Pierce!"

"Yeah?" you snap out of your bubble and look at Figgins, his eyes narrowed at you.

"I was telling everyone about exams and that you should all be prepped. Are you prepped?"

"We have our final unit to finish which we'll be done the first week back, and then it's all review, so yes, I'm prepped." You tell him and he runs over your words before nodding in approval.

"Excellent. I'm glad we are all on the same page. We need to make sure the kids are prepared. With last year's exam results I have the board breathing down my neck and I cannot have it." He slaps his hand on the desk top before leaning back in his chair and taking a calming breath. All the teachers wait patiently as Figgins breathes while pinching the bridge of his nose, and you look at Quinn who just shrugs. "Why are you all still standing here? You are dismissed. Go!"

You jump and go to leave, stopping when Figgins tells you to wait. You step to the side, letting everyone else leave, and slowly turn to face Figgins, closing the door when he motions for you to do so.

"Take a seat, Brittany." He sighs and you hesitate before sitting down.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes, everything is fine." He nods, waving his hand to dismiss your worry before he sits straighter and rests his clasped hands on the desk, "I just wanted to speak with you about your students."

You nod slowly and shrug after a moment, "What about them?"

"More so your students grades."

"And?"

"And I want to tell you I'm pleased. Your first year teaching your classes had one of the highest averages and it's only been getting better as the years go by."

You smile and nod, watching him closely as he leans forwards, "I just want to let you know that the board has taken notice." He says with a proud grin. "So keep doing whatever it is you're doing to teach those kids, Ms. Pierce. You're doing a wonderful job."

* * *

You're walking down the hall and turn a corner bringing you to the hall where your classroom is located when you are sandwiched between Quinn and Rachel.

You groan and break from between them, "Don't you two ever have class?"

"What did Figgins want?" Quinn asks and you look at her.

"Quinn, you don't just ask outright like that." Rachel scolds her and you look back ahead of you with a shake of your head. You love the two of them and you've been best friends since middle school, but as much as you love them they still manage to annoy you to the point where you want to bang their heads together. "You ask if she's okay and then proceed to question whether their conversation had been pleasant or not."

Quinn gives Rachel a pointed look as the three of you continue down the hall before you reach your classroom door and see Santana standing by your desk. You spin around and put your hands out, forcing the two bickering teachers to stop and look at you in surprise.

"What are-"

"It was positive news." You state quickly and their brows lift, "Well not so much news. More like feedback. Positive feedback. He just told me I've been doing a great job with my kids and to keep doing whatever it is I do and that the board is taking notice." You rush out and Quinn and Rachel look at each other in confusion before you give them a reassuring smile, "I have some papers to finish grading before my juniors get here so I can hand them back." You tell them and mumble an apology with a wince before nodding and waiting for them to leave.

"Uh…"

"Okay?" they say and give each other another confused look before turning and heading off to their classrooms.

You wait a moment, expecting them to peek back, and when they don't you turn and walk into your classroom, smiling at Santana as she leans against your desk, looking through her phone.

"Santana, what can I do for you?" you ask.

Santana snaps her head up and smiles, tucking her phone away before resting her hands on the edge of your desk as you move to your chair, "I wanted to ask about that whole study group thing."

You look up from looking for the folder holding your junior quizzes in your bag, and nod slowly, pulling them out, "What about it?"

"Is there like a sign up sheet?"

You arch a brow as Santana shifts, waiting for an answer, and laugh softly, shaking your head, "No, Santana, there's no sign up sheet. There aren't a limited number of seats or anything. It's just whoever wants to come and get some help, ask questions, review previous chapters…they come in and do it."

"Oh…so it's like a class."

"In a sense." You nod, opening the folder and pulling out the first quiz along with the answer key. "I'm here for whoever needs me. Whether it's three kids or thirty." You lean back in your chair as Santana nods along, and shrug, "Sometimes the room is packed full. Kids from Maddison's class come in to ask me questions and hang around. If that's the case then we just move to the auditorium."

"So you've had a study group double your regular class size." She states with wide eyes and you nod.

"A few times. The only problem with that is I don't get to talk to everyone as long and help them as much as I'd like." You smile sadly and look back up at Santana as she smiles whilst looking at the floor, "What?"

"Nothing…you're just...a really great teacher, you know? How you care so much for everyone. It's rare."

"I feel like we've had this conversation before." You tease and Santana rolls her eyes with a smile. You watch her tuck some stray hair from her ponytail behind her ear, and glance down at the quizzes. "So how's it going with Kieran?" you blurt out and inwardly scold yourself when Santana's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Uhm…you know, just…the whole spending time together thing." You say quickly, Santana watching you curiously, "Is it better than the beginning of the semester?"

You wet your lips and hold your bottom one in your mouth as Santana shifts, her brows furrowed in thought.

"Uhm, it's…I mean…we're okay, I guess." She shrugs, crossing her arms. "We still don't see each other that much."

You open your mouth and Santana shakes her head quickly, "I mean, we see each other in the halls and hang out on Saturdays, and we talked a bit before and after his games until the season ended, but still it's not a lot. I talk more with Tina." She scoffs and you laugh. "How is that funny?"

"I just remembered how uncomfortable you looked when she hugged you."

Santana shakes her head with a faint smile and you clear your throat, forcing yourself to stop laughing and watch the brunette look down at her phone in her hand, "I don't know." She sighs, "Lately it's like–" she stops and looks at you with wide eyes as you tilt your head, regarding her curiously.

"Lately it's like what?"

"I uh…you're his aunt. And you're like best friends." She says slowly, eyeing you and you shrug.

"True, but I'm also your friend." You lower your voice nearing the end of the sentence and Santana smiles faintly, "If you want to talk about something I'll listen and if I can help you or give you advice then I'll do so, it doesn't matter that Kieran's my nephew. Well it does, but if you tell me something in confidence then it stays between us, Santana." You tell her gently and she lets out a nervous breath.

"Okay, I uh…" she pauses, and glances at the door.

"You can close it if that'd make you more comfortable." You tell her softly and she shifts before looking back at you. You wait patiently and Santana opens her mouth just as the bell rings. She closes her eyes and sighs before opening them. "Whenever you want to tell me." You tell her and she nods.

"Thanks, Britt." She mumbles before quickly correcting herself, "Ms. Pierce."

"It's just us, don't worry." You tell her before the two of you look at the door as your juniors flood in.

Santana straightens, students noticing her presence, and holds her head high while clenching and unclenching her jaw. Then she glances at you and offers a small smile, "I'll see you later, Ms. Pierce." She says before you watch her leave.

* * *

 **A/N: next update: Sunday, long wait so we'll make that one a double as well ;)**

 **-B**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: alright everyone, here is chapter 12! Sorry for posting so late, I was running late for work, whoops!**

 **-B**

* * *

 **December, 2020** :

"I am starving." You deadpan and scan your eyes over the menu. You're sitting in Breadstix, beside Puck, and across from Finn, Quinn, and Rachel, everyone's jackets and purses on the chair beside you.

It's been a few days since winter break started and the five of you had been hanging out almost everyday when the time was right. Things with Finn and Rachel were no longer awkward like they were when they first broke up, but now it's like old high school times.

"Yes, Britt, we know; you've only been whining since I called you at four." Puck mumbles and you huff, shifting in your seat while glancing around at everyone looking at their menus. "Look, I already know what I'm getting, how long do the rest of you need?"

"Calm down, Puckerman." Quinn rolls her eyes, turning a page.

You look up from the menu when someone stops at your table, and smile politely at the young host as he shifts nervously at the side.

"Good evening. My name's Tony, and I'll be your server. Can I start you off with anything to drink?" he asks quietly and you glance around at your friends all looking at Tony in amusement, and nod at the young man.

"Can I get a sangria and a glass of water, please?"

Tony nods and writes it down before looking at Puck, "Just a beer, thanks."

Finn, Rachel, and Quinn order their drinks and Tony leaves to retrieve them, leaving the five of you to continue looking through the menu.

"Okay, so what are you getting, Britt?" Finn asks, folding his arms on the table, "I'm thinking of getting chicken parmesan."

You nod slowly and close your menu, placing it over Finn's on the table, "Spaghetti with shrimp as my appetizer."

"Shrimp, eh?" Puck chuckles, leaning back in his chair as his arm rests on the back of yours. You roll your eyes and he knocks your shoulder with his hand, "Don't you only get shrimp on dates?"

"I'm in the mood for shrimp, sue me." You pull your narrowed eyes away from him as he just grins at you with an arched brow, and look at Quinn who just shakes her head with a smirk. "What?"

"Nothing…" she sings quietly, glancing at you through her lashes. You hold her gaze and she lets out a soft laugh, leaning forwards as she rests her hands on the table top, "You seem to forget that we've all been best friends since the fifth grade. We know you, or, I know you, seeing as though I'm the only one who really pays attention to these things-"

"Quinn, spit it out." You chuckle.

"You order shrimp when you're on a date with someone, that's true, but the only other time you ever order shrimp is if you have someone in mind. Why? I have no idea, you're brain still confuses me at times, but the fact is you do it." You arch a brow as Quinn smiles that "I'm right" smile, and clear your throat while tucking your hair behind your ear.

"Oh damn, who is it, Pierce?" Puck laughs, shaking your shoulder.

"No one! I'm just in the mood for shrimp, I haven't had it in a long time." you brush his arm off the back of your chair and he nods knowingly while snorting.

"Since that slut." Rachel scowls and everyone looks at her. Rachel looks up from her menu slowly and winces, mumbling an apology to you as Tony returns to the table with the drinks. You shrug and shift in your seat, wrapping your lips around the straw of your drink.

* * *

"She was the biggest bitch I'd ever met, Brittany, and that's saying something."

"Considering you've dated terrible women in the past." Finn mumbles and Puck scowls before turning to face you better, "But yeah, she was pretty bad."

"I knew she was bad news the first time I met her." Quinn points out, holding her fork towards you as you roll your eyes for the umpteenth time.

"As you never failed to mention while we were still together."

"And this just proves you should listen to me when I tell you something."

"Oh my god, can we just eat?"

"I think what everyone is trying to say, Brittany, is that –"

"That I should smack you for bringing her up in the first place? I mean, really, Rachel. Really?"

"Well, I'm sorry!"

"Sorry won't get theses idiots to shut up will it!"

"No, this is good. We haven't actually talked about her since the break up. It's like closure."

"God, Puck, just shut up."

"He's kinda right."

"Finn, so help me god!"

"Yeah why are you even talking? You were always nice to her!" Puck accuses, turning to Finn, while the latter holds his hands up.

"I'm a nice person! I can act polite and not like someone."

"You're all driving me crazy." You mumble under your breath and watch as your friends proceed to rant about your ex. Shaking your head, you get up from the table and wait for someone to notice. "I'm going to the restroom." You tell them and get completely ignored. Throwing your hands up in surrender, you turn and stumble back in surprise.

"Hey, Ms. Pierce."

You smile and the chatter at your table quiets down immediately as everyone looks at Kurt and Mercedes, Santana standing in the middle of them, "Hey, guys. How's your break been?"

"Boring as hell." Mercedes states blankly making you chuckle while Santana shakes her head at her friend, Kurt waving at the other teachers and Puck still remaining quiet at the table. "I literally eat, study, sleep, and repeat."

"Ah see, at least you're studying." You say playfully, "I just watch Netflix."

"Uh, hello, you hang out with us." Finn cuts in and you roll your eyes fondly before looking back at the students and motioning to the table.

"Students, your teachers." You introduce and everyone chuckles, exchanging smiles and small waves, "Oh, and our friend, Puck." You shrug.

"Puck?" Kurt asks in confusion and the tan man nods, leaning over while holding his hand out.

"Noah Puckerman, everyone just calls me Puck." He says while the students take turns shaking his hand.

"Also his personality very well resembles Midsummer's Night Dream's Puck." Rachel cuts in quickly. Puck sends her a look and she just smiles at Kurt and Mercedes, who nod knowingly, familiar with the character they must've learnt about in Drama.

You stand silently, along with the students, while your friends sit at the table, everyone glancing around, trying to find something to say.

"Well this is awkward." Santana mumbles under her breath.

You glance at her with an amused smile as Mercedes scoffs, turning to Santana.

"Girl, awkward? You're the one who wanted to come say hi."

Santana gives Mercedes a sharp glare as Kurt shakes his head, and you glance back at Puck and the others as they laugh quietly.

"Well now it's awkward." Kurt says, crossing his arms.

"Thanks for that, Wheezy." Santana hisses before glancing at you. You arch a brow while wearing a teasing smile and she averts her gaze with a hint of a blush, making your smile grow. "Yeah, so we're gonna…go. Eat. Yeah…" her blush deepens as she mumbles a goodbye, grabbing Mercedes's arm to pull her away.

Kurt waves to everyone before following and you wait until they sit at their booth before you reclaim your seat.

"Oh this is awesome." Puck laughs, putting his arm around your shoulder.

You scrunch your nose and look at him in question, "What's awesome?" He just winks before going back to his food, removing his arm from your shoulders, and you look around with a frown; Finn, Rachel, and Quinn shaking their heads in amusement.

* * *

"Okay, why do you keep looking at me?" you ask in annoyance as Puck looks your way once again.

He holds his hands up in defense, laughing, and runs a hand over his shaved head while leaning back in his chair, "Someone's hot for teacher."

"What?" you ask, completely confused, "No. We're not doing that again."

"What?" he pulls his head back with his brow furrowed before rolling his eyes, "Oh. Not what I meant." He chuckles, "I'm talking about chica over there."

"That's so racist." You mumble, "Her name's Santana." You correct him and he waves it off.

"Whatever. _Santana_ has a total lady boner for you."

You look at him with wide eyes and he grins knowingly, nodding before wiggling his brows.

"Don't be ridiculous, Noah." Rachel clicks her tongue at the man and you nod, keeping your eyes on Puck.

"Thank you, Rach."

"I wouldn't say she has a lady boner, perhaps just a little crush."

"Rachel!" you shriek. Rachel smiles apologetically and you look to Finn and Quinn for help. Finn quickly looks at his almost empty plate of food, and Quinn glances up while bringing her glass to her lips. "Santana does not have a crush on me. She's just a really sweet kid. _And_ she's Kieran's girlfriend." You point out, trying to calm your racing heart, and stop the voice inside your head from cheering.

"So?" Puck laughs, "People can be with someone and have crushes on other people. It happens all the time."

"Puck, stop." You tell him.

"He might be right, Brittany." You drop your head into your hands, shaking it in defeat as Rachel continues, "She has looked over here like ten times since they've sat down –"

"And when I told you that joke and you laughed, she looked over and smiled." Finn added.

You lift your head, glaring at him and he looks back at his food.

"Who cares?" Quinn sighs. You look at her and she shrugs, "She's a teenager and everyone knows you're hot. I'm sure most of the students have a crush on you. Puck, you crushed on Ms. Corcoran, Rachel's _mother_ might I remind you. Finn, you _kissed_ Ms. Pillsbury, and Rach, you told me you checked out your dance instructor at NYADA every class." She states.

"Oh right! Cassandra." You nod, pointing at Rachel as she shifts, her cheeks burning red.

"What about you, Q?" Puck asks with a grin, "Who was your teacher crush?"

Quinn rolls her eyes, "Please, did you see Mr. Martinez? My point is, everyone crushes on their teacher at one point."

"Who the hell did you crush on, Britt?" Puck asks suddenly and you smile sheepishly.

"I always have loved the Holiday's."

"Right!"

"Damn, she had a pair of legs." Finn and Puck say with wistful smiles.

"She's looking over again." Rachel sings quietly with a teasing smile. You roll your eyes and glance over at the three teenagers, catching Santana's gaze. Her eyes widen for a moment before she smiles softly and looks away.

"So awesome." Puck grins.

* * *

"Are you three stalking me?" you ask while pulling your keys out of your jacket pocket. Mercedes, Kurt, and Santana look over as they wait for Kurt's escalade to unlock, and smile. You walk over to your truck parked in front of the black vehicle, and glance at Santana as she stands waiting for Mercedes to open the door.

"If we were stalking you, you would never know."

You pause from pulling you door open, and furrow your brows.

"Do you know how creepy that sounds?" Santana asks Kurt and he tilts his head before nodding slowly.

"I just realized." He says before pulling the door open and climbing in. You shake your head in amusement and pull your door open, moving to get in when Santana calls your name. You drop back down to the ground and keep your hand on the door, watching her walk over.

"Do you think you could give me a ride?" she asks while holding her arms tightly across her chest.

You look past her at Mercedes and Kurt pulling their seatbelts on, and return your gaze to Santana as she waits. You arch a brow and she jumps, "Oh!" she looks back at them and then looks at you and nods, "They want to go see a movie."

"They can't drop you at home before they go?"

"Oh, uhm…I mean, I guess." She frowns, "I didn't…"

"Sorry, that sounded really rude." You wince and she shakes her head quickly.

"No, no, it…you're right. I'll just get them to drop me off." She chuckles awkwardly and you shift, watching her turn to head back before groaning inwardly.

"It's fine!" you blurt out and Santana turns to look back at you while Mercedes and Kurt stop talking and look over. You clear your throat and offer a smile, "I can drive you. It's fine."

"You're sure?" she asks with a smile and you nod.

"I'm sure."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, Santana." You laugh, "Now get in, it's cold as shit out here."

Santana looks back at her friends and points to your truck and they nod, waving to the both of you before Kurt pulls out. You get in and turn the vehicle on, glancing at Santana as she gets in with more ease than last time, "Apparently I drive you home too much."

"What?"

"You get in easily now." You point out and she blinks before it hits her.

"Oh! Yeah, I guess." She chuckles, buckling herself in. You put the gear in drive and head to the parking lot exit, throwing your arm up so it rests on the window as you pass the restaurant doors with your friends all coming out, and clear your throat, blocking any view of Santana.

She eyes you and you glance at her with a reassuring smile, holding your head in your hand as you turn onto the main street.

It's quiet for the majority of the ride, the windshield wipers squeaking against the glass as they brush away the heavy snow.

"Jesus…" you breathe, narrowing your eyes as you return your free hand to the wheel, flicking your farther headlights on. You let out a heavy sigh and do a double take to Santana when she shifts. You quickly eye her before returning your gaze in front of you, "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?"

"That's like the fifth time you've shifted since I tuned onto this road." You state and she lets out a quiet "oh". "Spit it out, Santana."

"It's nothing."

You glance over at her, and nod slowly, focusing on getting to her house. It takes ten more minutes until you're pulled in front of Santana's house and putting the truck in park. You look over as she remains still in the passenger seat, and tilt your head curiously, "San-"

"Remember when you said I can talk to you about anything and you'll try to help?" she asks suddenly while looking at you. You nod slowly and she takes a breath, "Okay, and how you said that it will stay between us?"

"I remember."

She nods and wets her bottom lip, shifting to face you better before pausing and sitting properly in her seat, "Things with Kieran…they're not going great." She says slowly and quietly.

You take a breath and nod, waiting for her to continue.

"I mean, for him they are but…not for me. Does that make sense?"

"Do you mean you're not happy?"

"Yes. Erm, no. I don't know." She groans and you watch her run her hands down her face. She drops them to her lap and keeps her eyes downcast while biting her lip nervously. "He told me he loved me."

You shift awkwardly in your seat, wetting your lips as you glance out the front window before returning your gaze to the uncertain teenager, "Okay?"

"And I said it back."

You frown and shake your head slightly, "Santana, I'm not understanding what you're trying to get at."

"I said I loved him back but I didn't mean it."

"Oh…"

"It was like an immediate response. When someone says they love you, you say it back, you know? So I just said it, but I didn't mean it. But I should. I want to mean it but it's like…" she groans again in frustration and runs a hand through her hair. "It's like this. He called me today asking if we could go for dinner and a movie and I told him I already had plans with Mercedes and Kurt."

"Well, you did."

"No." she shakes her head, looking at you sadly, "I made Kurt and Cedes come out after he asked me. I just didn't want to hang out with him tonight."

You chuckle and Santana frowns in confusion, "Nobody wants to always have plans."

"But I don't even care if we hang out anymore. I'd rather stay home and binge watch Netflix. I'd rather study binary coding." She deadpans and you hold back an amused smile. Not well enough. "Ridiculous right?" she whines and you chuckle, shrugging. "Even when my phone rings and I see it's him I know he's going to ask me to do something and so now I just get annoyed when I see his name on my screen!"

"It's driving me crazy. I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm like the worst girlfriend ever. What kind of girl doesn't want to talk or hang out with her boyfriend?"

"Kieran's new to this whole dating thing. You're his first girlfriend so he's probably freaking out just as much as you are."

"Britt, I literally feel like I'm being smothered to death."

"Okay, that's not right." You snort and she scoffs, "Sorry, it's just you freaking out is pretty hilarious."

"I can't talk to you." She says, shaking her head. You laugh as she unbuckles her belt, checking her coat, and put your hand out to stop her when she goes to open the door.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

She looks at you and you offer a smile.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to tell you. I've never been great with advice or relationships myself." You sigh, "I've had one serious relationship in my entire life and look how that turned out." She stares, confused, and you sigh, giving her a pointed look, "I'm alone." You say and she nods slowly. "I don't know what to tell you except that if you're feeling this way that you should just think about the relationship. Actually think about it. If you want to work on it, or if you just don't see it working out."

"You're telling me I should break up with your nephew?"

"No." you say quickly, "I'm saying, if you're not happy him, and not being with him will make you happier then you should consider all the options. And you could always try talking to Kieran about how you're feeling."

"No thanks. Every time we're together he just wants to hook up."

You clamp your eyes closed and slowly shake your head, trying to rid the image from your mind as Santana starts to laugh, "Too much information. Way too much."

"Sorry." She giggles and you open your eyes, shaking your head at her. She takes a small breath, staring at you, and you hold her gaze as she shifts and awkwardly lifts her arms for a hug. You grin and arch a brow and she winces, looking away from you, "Sorry. I'm really…weird, right now." She mumbles, glancing back at you before reaching for the handle and getting out of the truck. "Thanks for the ride, Britt. And for listening."

You nod, "No problem." You sigh and smile goodbye, waiting for her to get into her house before pulling away from the curb and heading home.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Remember to read chapter 12 seeing as this was a double post!**

 **-B**

* * *

 **December, 2020/ January, 2021** :

"Happy New Year!"

You laugh and cheer with everyone in the bar and look at Puck behind the bar as he turns up the volume to the speakers. The music blasts loudly, enough that you can feel the vibration against your hand with your palm flat against the counter top as you tap along with the beat.

"Cheers!" Rachel drunkenly laughs, clinking her wine against your beer.

You hum and nod, lowering your bottle, "To a shitty new year."

"To a shitty new year, indeed." Finn mumbles in agreement, tapping the neck of his beer against yours.

"What is with the two of you?" Puck laughs as Quinn swivels on the bar stool, "You're acting all depressed and shit."

"Look, it's a given that without a New Years kiss, the year is shit. I think it's perfectly acceptable for Finn and I to be depressed." You say firmly and Finn pats you on the back, lifting his beer in agreement.

"Hey, I offered to kiss you." Puck grins and Quinn and Rachel make gagging noises, before laughing.

"Or I could have kissed you." Quinn says, "But you were refusing and Rach kinda attacked me." Rachel snorts a laugh and Quinn shakes her head with an amused smirk. You roll your eyes.

"Nah, then Finn and Rach would have had to kiss but they have that history." Puck shrugs and you roll your eyes once again as the four of them start talking about the various combinations you could have gone through.

Your phone buzzes on the counter and you finish the rest of your second beer while unlocking the device and checking the new message.

 **New Message From: Kieran**

 **You're picking us up still?**

You look up when Puck lifts another beer, silently asking if you want it, and you shake your head while typing out a response.

 **New Message To: Kieran**

 **Just let me know when, and the address.**

"Can you grab me a water?" you ask Puck while putting your phone back down and he scrunches his nose at your request. "I'm picking up Kieran and Santana from a party later on." You explain and he sighs heavily, filling a glass of water.

"Where exactly is Derek?" Puck asks, "Does he ever drive his kid around?"

"He's a busy worker." You defend quickly and Puck nods slowly, "I don't mind driving Kieran around occasionally. I'd rather pick him up than have him drive home."

"No, I know, I'm just saying. You're basically the kid's mother."

"That's gross. But he's more like my brother. We are only eight years apart." You tell him firmly and he shrugs, moving down the bar to serve his other customers. You nurse your glass of water slowly, listening in on your friend's conversation and nod absently whenever they ask you a question.

New Years was never a favorite.

Who truly cares about the one digit difference in the year. And everyone with their resolutions. No one ever sticks with them. And then with all those lame jokes.

 _I haven't showered since last year!_

Or those bullshit promises.

 _New year, new me._

You don't know who they're trying to kid. It was all just annoying. Plus the added pressure of finding someone to kiss after the countdown totally blows.

"Britt, seriously!"

"What?" you snap out of it and lift your chin from your hand, looking at Quinn as she sighs at you.

"I can't remember the last time we've hung out and you haven't gone off."

"Maybe she's on drugs."

You and Quinn give Finn an unimpressed look as Rachel gasps, nodding at her ex boyfriend.

"No, Rachel." Quinn tells her and Rachel shrinks back, glancing at Finn. He grins and she smiles. You and Quinn roll your eyes at the two and look back at each other. "So, what is it? Why are you so spacey?"

"I'm not spacey." At her pointed look you huff and take another gulp of your water, "Everyone's spacey to a certain degree."

"I understand that. But you've been like this only recently, like since the beginning of the semester."

"I'm stressed." You tell her and she laughs.

"No you're not. You do everything to ensure you're never stressed."

You sigh and run a hand through your hair, keeping your hand tangled as you rest your elbow on the counter. You can feel Quinn's eyes on you, and glance at her, her firm, demanding look replaced with one of worry.

"What's going on, Britt. You can tell me." She says gently, putting her hand on your arm.

You glance around at Puck busy with customers, and over to Finn and Rachel blatantly talking about you with one another before nodding. The two of you get up, telling Finn and Rachel to watch your drinks and seats before heading to the restroom.

* * *

You push the door open and hold it open for Quinn to follow after you, locking the door after her.

She stands by the sink, resting back against it as she waits for you to talk to her.

"I ordered shrimp."

She nods slowly and you give her that look.

"You ordered shrimp." She gives you a sympathetic smile and you sigh heavily, leaning back against the door. "Who is it? Do I know him? Or her."

"Her." You tell her and she crosses her arms, "You don't _know_ her, know her, but you know her, you know?"

"Was that some riddle?" she asks in confusion and you chuckle, shaking your head. "Okay, let me just…okay. So I know _who_ she is but I don't know her well?"

"Exactly."

"Okay, so who is she?"

You hesitate before opening your mouth, and groan, shaking your head, "Promise me that you'll react as Quinn Fabray, my best friend, and not Quinn Fabray, McKinley's History teacher."

She furrows her brows in slight confusion and you cross your arms protectively over your chest as you look at her pleadingly, "…okay. I promise."

"Pinky promise." You say quickly, holding your pinky out. She smiles and chuckles, wrapping her pinky around yours before squeezing. "It's Santana."

You swallow roughly as you search her eyes and hold your breath when her eye brows lift in surprise.

"Santana Lopez?"

"What other Santana do we know?" you ask, dropping her pinky.

"She's a student." She says and you let out a shaky breath while beginning to pace the small restroom, "She's Kieran's _girlfriend_ , Brittany."

"Fuck…I know!" you hiss quietly, looking at her with wide, panicked eyes.

"You realize you could get fired." She states with furrowed brows, arms crossed, "And arrested, actually."

"You promised to be Quinn my best friend." You point accusingly at her and she holds her hands out while shrugging.

"This is me being your best friend." She tells you as you mumble curses under your breath. "Has anything happened?"

"With me and Santana?" you ask and she just looks at you, "N-no. Well–"

"There's a well?"

"We didn't do anything but there have been like…times when we could have, I guess."

"Jesus Christ." Quinn breathes, running her hands down her face as you stop pacing and cross your arms. You keep them tightly against you and bite your bottom lip nervously while looking at Quinn through your lashes. "So why haven't you done anything?"

"What – because she's my student and she's dating my nephew." You point out and Quinn nods.

"Exactly." You lift your shoulders, not fully understanding what she means, and Quinn steps forwards, putting her hands on your arms, "She's your student and she's with Kieran. Just remember those two things and you won't act on your feelings."

"You don't know that." you whisper, "There are these moments when it's just us when I–"

"But you haven't." she cuts you off firmly and you look up from your arms to her eyes. She looks over you softly and you let out a breath before nodding. She mirrors your movement, "Okay."

"Okay." You repeat and take calming breaths, "You're right. She's my student. She's dating my nephew. It's not going to happen. I can handle it. I'll get over it. Over her."

" _Over_ her?" Quinn shrieks and you shush her loudly, "Oh my god! This isn't just an attraction thing?"

"No, no, no, we're not doing this." You shake your head, pulling away from her as she tries to hold onto your arms, "Quinn…" you say sternly and she shakes her head.

"Britt, if you actually have real feelings for her then this is going to be so much worse!"

"I can handle it!"

"You were just freaking out!"

"Yeah, but you calmed me down and now I can handle it! I'll be okay!" you tell her, slipping by and to the door. You pull it open and she sighs, looking at you sadly. "Thanks for listening, and for the advice."

"If you need to talk again, I'm here." She says, walking over. You nod and roll your eyes with a smile when she pulls you into a hug. "I'm serious." She mumbles by your ear.

"I know."

* * *

 **New Message From: Kieran**

 **Kay tou can come boe ojay?**

"Okay, I have to go." You tell the four, Puck officially off his shift. They all groan and protest and you say your goodbyes, giving them hugs and cheek kisses before turning to leave. You look back when someone grabs your hand, and Quinn squeezes with a smile before letting you go.

You step out of the bar and stuff your hands in your coat pockets, the flaps of your jacket smacking against your front from the wind. Snowflakes land on your nose and hair as you hurry to your truck, starting it immediately.

You wait ten minutes for the truck to warm up and then put it in drive, leaving the parking lot. You think back to Kieran's text and shake your head at his drunk ass, turning onto another main road that leads to the street the party is on.

You can hear the music before you see the house, and slow your speed, parking along the curb across the two story house. Pulling your phone out, you send Kieran a text to let him know you're there, and get out of the truck, leaving it running to keep warm.

The volume of the music grows as the front door opens and you hear teenagers shouting goodbyes. You push off your truck and walk a little closer to stand in the middle of the residential road, Kieran stumbling to meet you.

"You're here!" he exclaims happily and you wince at how loud he is and the evident slur of his words.

"And you're hammered." You nod, wrapping your arm around his shoulders, "Where's Santana?" you ask, looking back towards the house for the brunette. When Kieran scoffs you frown and look at him as he pulls away from you and wobbles over to the passenger seat.

"Dunno. She's bitchy now anyway." He mumbles, yanking the door open.

"Wait, what?" you ask, moving towards him as he struggles to get himself in the backseat. You pull the passenger seat forwards and help him in, watching him lay on his back and rest his arms over his eyes. "Kieran, where's Santana?" you ask, patting his shin.

He mumbles an incoherent reply and you take a calming breath before pinching the side of his thigh.

"Fuck!" he yelps, pulling away from you, "What the fuck?"

"Watch your fucking mouth." You tell him sternly, pointing at him. He huffs and you run a hand through your hair while looking around. Your eyes settle back on him and he blinks before smiling drunkenly. "I'm supposed to drive both of you home, where is she?"

"Dunno. She walked."

"Excuse me?" you ask with wide eyes.

Kieran nods slowly, letting out a yawn, "She's being a total bitch. Sam said so, I said so, and she got mad. We yelled and now you're driving only me." He grins widely at you and you clench your jaw, slamming the door closed.

"Fuck." You breathe out in panic and push away from the truck. You get back behind the wheel and look back at Kieran, demanding he hand over his phone which he does. You unlock it easily, shaking your head at his code being his birth year, and open his messages, finding convos to Mercedes and Kurt asking when they'll be coming to the party.

 **New Message To: Mercedes Jones**

 **Have you seen Santana?**

You send the same text to Kurt and wait a moment before Kurt replies with a simple "Nopppe". Mercedes says the same, with a totally incoherent sentence following, and you groan in frustration before opening Kieran's conversation with Santana.

 **New Message To: Babe 3**

 **It's Brittany. Where the hell are you?**

You look back at Kieran, passed out and drooling on the sleeve of his shirt, and snap your head around when the phone buzzes.

 **New Message From: Babe 3**

 **Fuk u, ashole! 1!**

"Oh my god." You shake your head.

 **New Message To: Babe 3**

 **Santana, I swear to god, if you don't tell me where you are I will fail your ass.**

You wait and when the phone buzzes three minutes later you let out a breath.

 **New Message From: Babe 3**

 **Oh…**

A second text comes in immediately after telling you the street name and you throw Kieran's phone back, ignoring his grunt of protest, and pull away from the curb.

* * *

"Are you insane!" you shout, slamming your door.

Santana snaps her head up, her arms wrapped around herself as she sits on bench at the bus stop, three streets over from the party. You shake your head, fuming as you approach the teenager.

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that." you say, stopping a few feet in front of her. "Let's go." You hold your arm out, motioning for her to come on, and look back towards your truck.

Santana gets up and tightens her arms around herself as you put your hand on her back and lead her to the truck. You hold the door open for her, and help her in before closing the door and rounding the front of the vehicle. You close the door behind you and look at Santana with a shake of your head as she shivers violently.

"Hold your hands in front of the vent." You tell her, cranking the heat and turning the vents to face her.

"Thanks."

"Mhm." You side glance her and switch to drive, glancing at the time. "So you make habit of walking around at two in the morning in the freezing cold?"

"Not usually." She mumbles, glancing at you. You let out a heavy breath and look at Kieran sleeping in the review mirror. Santana follows your gaze and turns to face the front, clenching her jaw.

"What happened?" you ask, keeping your eyes on the road as you head for Santana's house, seeing as it's closer. She stays quiet and you glance at her, "Santana, you pert near gave me a heart attack, I think the least you can do is tell me why you thought walking home was such a genius idea."

"Ask him."

"Oh I will. Believe me." You scoff, "But I want your version first."

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes it matters." You tell her firmly and she leans away from the vent, crossing her arms again, "You don't get to be quiet. Not after what you just pulled."

She remains quiet until you pull up to her house and you look over at her, her eyes closed and chest rising and falling in steady breaths. You roll your eyes because of course she'd fall asleep.

"Santana…" you say gently, touching her shoulder. She makes a quiet noise and you huff, sliding your hand into the jacket of her coat and pull out her phone. You unlock it and go to her contact, composing a message to Catarina, her sister as you remember, and ask her to come down and open the door for Santana. She responds letting you know she'll be right down, and you get out of the truck and help Santana out. She stumbles and you once again keep your hand against her back while walking her to the door.

"It was a stupid argument."

You look at her and she wets her lips, "You and Kieran?"

"Yeah. Just a…it was stupid." She says and you hum, handing her back her phone. You look back at the truck and stuff your hands in your coat pockets, "You look really nice." You look back at her and Santana smiles faintly, shifting.

"So do you." You mumble, looking over her dark jeans, long shirt, and leather jacket. You can see the wool lining the inside and glance back up when Santana takes a breath.

"Thanks." You nod and she glances at the door and then at the truck before rolling her eyes and wrapping her arms around your neck. You stand there with your arms at your sides, tense as hell. "Thank you."

You clear your throat and return her hug gently, "You already said that." You relax into the hug, tightening your hold faintly before releasing.

She hums and turns her head, nuzzling slightly into the crook of your neck before slowly stepping back. You shiver as her hands brush your neck lightly, and put your hands back in your pockets, offering a smile.

The both of you jump when the door opens and you look at the taller brunette. Totally Santana's sister.

"You're an idiot. Why don't you ever bring keys?" Catarina grumbles before looking at you and smiling nervously, "Ms. Pierce."

"Catarina. Will you be taking my biology course next year?" You watch her smile falter and Santana chuckles.

"She's the writer of the family. Romero may be in your freshman class." She says and you hum, nodding with a smile.

"Okay, well, sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay." Catarina shrugs, leaning against the door.

"Look after this one for me." You nod towards Santana as the senior rolls her eyes with a fond smile. Catarina nods and you offer one last smile before turning and returning to the truck.

Kieran groans when you slam the door a little too hard and you groan mockingly, heading to his house.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you thought!**

 **Next update will be Tuesday.**

 **-B**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Here is chapter 14, everyone! :)**

 **-B**

* * *

 **January, 2021** :

"Oh, look who finally decided to get their grounded ass out of bed!" you call from the kitchen as Kieran slowly comes down the stairs. You watch him with an unimpressed look, stirring sugar and cream into your coffee.

"My head is killing me." He croaks, holding his forehead as he drags his feet.

"Good." You narrow your eyes as you lift your cup, slapping the back of his head when he moves to walk by.

"Brittany, what the hell!" he whines, holding himself against the counter as he takes a deep breath. "And wait, grounded?"

"Oh yeah, grounded." You state firmly and he frowns, "I called Derek last night to get him to carry you in from my truck and he told me to let you know you're grounded for two weeks when you wake up."

"Why?"

You arch a brow, and pull your head back in surprise at his outburst, "Lower your voice." You scold and he swallows, frowning. "Water, advil, couch." You tell him, eyeing him as he moves.

Kieran throws the pill back before heading to the couch and you follow him, your arms crossed while holding your cup. Your nephew sits on one of the couches nervously and you sit on the other, looking at him as he glances away from you.

"What the hell happened between you and Santana last night?"

"Santana?" he frowns, looking at you.

"I came to pick you up and the two of you were fighting. She thought it would be a good idea to walk home and you were being a dick. So yeah, Kieran, what happened with Santana?"

Catching the irritation in your voice, as well as the volume of it, Kieran flinches and runs his hands through his short hair, looking at the floor, "I don't really remember."

"Don't try that with me."

He looks at you sadly and rests his elbows on his knees, shaking his head, "She's cheating on me."

Your eyes widen at his words and he looks back at you while you look at him in disbelief, "I _highly_ doubt that's the case."

"She's cheating." He says with a firm nod before shifting to face you, "Everything was fine last night. I got our drinks, we hung out with our group, we danced, and then all of the sudden she was pushing me away and avoiding me all night! At one point I couldn't even find her and one of the guys said he saw her come out of one of the bedrooms."

"That doesn't mean she's cheating on –"

"I confronted her about it and she told me to screw off. She was stumbling all over and so I tried to keep her steady and she just freaked out!" he exclaims as you scratch your head in confusion. "I told her to stop acting like a bitch and she left the party. She wouldn't answer my calls or texts so whatever." He finishes quietly.

You shift awkwardly and Kieran rubs his forehead slowly, "You shouldn't have let her leave." You tell him gently and he turns his head, holding it in his hands, and looks at you, "She was drunk. Anything could've happened to her."

He nods slowly and sniffs, "I know. I thought about it but she's been treating me like crap recently and I just didn't want to deal with it."

"Yeah, well…" you draw out, getting off the couch.

"She's probably on her period."

You spin around, and he grins at you, "You did not just say that." you say and his smile falters. He shrugs and gets up, moving to the stairs as you shake your head at him.

"I'm going to shower and stuff, I stink." He grimaces after smelling himself, and you hum, watching him with a shake of your head as he goes upstairs.

* * *

A yawn slips past your lips and you lift your head up from your hands as someone knocks on the door. You look at the time on your phone and groan. Just past noon and you're already exhausted.

Sliding off the stool at the island, you head over and pull the door open.

Santana lets out a relieved breath when she sees you and you tilt your head at her, stepping back to let her come in, "Oh, uh…is –"

"Yeah, just come in. I'll call him down – or you can just go up." You chuckle and Santana shakes her head, holding her hand out as she stops you.

"No! Erm, no, I actually came here hoping to talk to you."

"Really? Why?"

She smiles and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, "I don't know your number or address and you hang out here a lot. Figured it was my best bet."

"No," you laugh, "I mean, why did you want to talk to me?" You close the door behind her and she glances towards the steps, stepping back towards the door.

"I was hoping we could like…go somewhere else to talk?"

You tense slightly and look from the doorknob to Santana's face as she lets out a nervous breath, and let out an awkward chuckle, "You don't think us hanging out would seem a little inappropriate? I'm still your teacher."

"We're on a break." Santana shrugs as she glances back towards the stairs. You follow her gaze and the both of you jump when you hear the bathroom door open and close followed by Kieran talking to himself. "Yeah, so…can we –"

"Britt, are the towels in the laundry?" Kieran calls and you widen your eyes as he starts down the stairs.

"If you don't have a towel, keep your ass upstairs!" you call back at him and he stops, his feet visible on the stairs. You look at Santana and give her a nod with a small smile before watching her leave the house.

"Who was that?"

You spin around in panic and drop your shoulders as Kieran looks at you with a curious smile, bent over to look at you, "It was just Puck." You lie and wave your hand dismissively, "We're going for a drink."

"At one?"

"Going for a drink doesn't always mean alcohol." You tell him pointedly and he descends a few more steps, leaning against the railing as he holds two hand towels against him to cover his front and backside.

"He owns a bar."

You shake your head and grab your jacket from the coat hanger, as well as your clutch purse, "Coffee, okay? We're getting a coffee."

"So it's like a date?" you pause from zipping your coat, and glance up at him as he grins at you. You just shake your head and pull your ponytail from beneath the collar of your coat, turning to leave as your nephew cackles on the stairs.

You jog over to the black Nissan parked in front of Derek's neighbor's house, smiling in amusement as you get closer to see Santana slumped behind the wheel, chewing her lip nervously. Leaning forwards you gently knock on the window with the back of your hand, chuckling when Santana flinches, looking at you with wide eyes.

 _It's cold as hell_ , you mouth and watch her hurry and unlock the door for you. You get in, humming happily at the warm air blowing at you as well at the warming of your bottom, and eye the teenager as you buckle in.

Your eyes shift to watch as Santana's hands grip the steering wheel tighter, her knuckles turning white, and then to her neck, watching her swallow.

"Relax, Santana." You tell her gently, putting your hand on her forearm.

She chuckles and shakes her head, looking at you, "Weren't you the one saying us being out together is bad?" she asks quietly, scanning your face, and you shrug with a tilt of your head.

"Not bad. Just a little inappropriate." You remove your hand from her arm and watch her shoulders relax, "Besides, if somehow someone sees and decides to question me when we get back, I'll just remind them you're dating Kieran and say you needed my help with something relating him. Simple."

"Simple…right." She says skeptically and you turn your head to look at her, leaning towards her with a twinkle in your eye as her eyes lower their gaze before quickly lifting again.

"Just drive." You whisper playfully before sitting properly as she pulls from the curb.

* * *

"Where do you want to go?"

You lift your head from the head rest and look at her, shrugging, "You wanted to go out, you decide. Which reminds me, what are we going to be talking about?"

"Just – you know, stuff." She mumbles, looking left and right, and then left again before going through the intersection, "Uhm, is the Lima Bean okay?"

"That's like the unofficial teenager hang out spot."

"Oh…yeah, I guess…"

"I can run in and grab us something and we could go to the mall." You suggest and Santana looks at you, arching a brow, before returning her eyes to the road.

"I'm pretty sure there will be more at the mall than the Bean."

"There will also be hundreds of other people." You point out and hear her hum before she agrees.

Santana lets you out at the door to the Lima Bean, and it takes you ten minutes to order and actually get your drinks before you head back out and slip into her car. She tries paying you back the four dollars her drink cost and you laugh, shaking your head fondly when she pouts.

You get to the mall eight minutes later, and it takes another five to find a parking spot before you and Santana are speed walking through the strong, cold wind, and into the closest entrance.

"Dios mio…"

You shiver, fixing your hair, and look at Santana when the quiet comment slips out. Your lips twitch upwards as you watch her try to get her windblown hair under control while bouncing to warm up, and let out a soft chuckle, catching her attention.

"What?"

"Nothing." You say quietly, looking over her. You lift your gaze to catch her blush, although it's more likely to be from the cold, and look away with a sheepish smile of your own before clearing your throat. "Uh, let's…where do you want –"

"I could actually look for a new coat. This one sucks."

You smirk, glancing at the cursive Cheerios written across the back of the coat when Santana turns to look around the mall.

"Yeah, it's not that great."

She looks back at you with narrowed eyes and you just bring your coffee to your lips to hide your growing grin.

* * *

"So…" you trail off for the twentieth time while following Santana through the store as she looks at the various coats hanging on the racks.

"What about this?"

You stuff your hands in the pockets of your coat, holding your purse under your arm, and look at the olive colored, puffy coat with the fuzzy hood. You then look at Santana blankly and she winces, putting it back before carrying on.

"Santana, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for a new coat, what do you mean?" she chuckles, "Here, this one's nice, right?" she holds up a black trench coat with a wool lining, and you let out a sigh.

"Yes, it's nice." She nods thoughtfully while looking at it before putting it back and grabbing one her size. "Oh my god," you groan with an eye roll, "Santana, if you wanted to shop, why didn't you just ask Mercedes? Or Kurt! You know, your friends…"

"You're my friend too." She states and you huff, following her to one of the mirrors of the store and watch with boredom as she takes off her squad coat, looking at you for you to hold it.

You snatch it from her with a glare and she smiles in amusement while pulling on the black coat, "You know what I mean."

"This is cute." She nods, turning to get a side look at the coat, "Is this cute?"

"It's adorable." You grumble while laying her coat on a display.

"It fits nicely…" she tells herself and goes to zip it up when you step forwards and take the zipper between your fingers, pulling her a bit closer to you. You hear her breath hitch as you slowly zip up the coat for her, and look at her through your lashes as she swallows.

"I thought you wanted to talk." You remind her, holding the zipper at her chest.

Santana takes in a sharp breath with her lips parted and glances down before wetting her lips and nodding faintly, "Y-yeah."

"Then why are we shopping for coats?"

"I uhm…I don't –"

"Do you like this one?" you ask and she nods, "Does it fit properly?" Another nod. "Is it warm enough?"

"Yeah." She breathes, looking between your eyes.

You hold her gaze for a moment before letting go of the zipper and stepping back, "Then get it and let's have that talk. I don't do leisure shopping." You tell her while picking up her Cheerios coat. You turn and look back at her as she holds her hand in her hair, holding her bottom lip between her teeth with her eyes closed, and clear your throat, arching a brow at her with a teasing smirk, "You okay?"

"I'm good." She rushes out, unzipping the coat while walking by you, heading for the cashier.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you thought about this one and where you're standing regarding Kieran, I think that would be interesting to know.**

 **Anyway, next update will be Thursday, and I'll aim for having it up before noon but we'll see how it goes.**

 **-B**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Chapter 15, picking up where 14 left off ;)**

 **-B**

* * *

 **January, 2021** :

"Spit it out, Santana." You laugh after catching the girl look at you and open her mouth to say something for the third time.

Santana huffs and looks the other way as the two of you walk through the mall slowly. It's been two hours since she picked you up from Derek and Kieran's and not a word about whatever it was she wanted to talk about.

"You know usually when someone says they want to talk, they have something in mind." You say quietly, leaning closer before pulling back.

"There are a lot of people around." She mumbles and you lift your brows with a smile.

"Obviously. We're at the mall."

"I know, I just didn't think it through." She says with her eyebrows furrowed. You watch her closely and can practically see the gears in her head as they turn. "We could – if you want, or – I mean, if you're okay with the idea, we could talk, like, in the car?" she suggests quickly and nervously as you narrow your eyes at her and run over her words.

"We could've done that in the first place."

"Yeah, I realize that."

You look at her and watch as she shifts uncomfortably, before you sigh, catching her attention, "If we do that, you have to promise you'll actually talk to me, because I can't handle this." You say playfully and she relaxes, nodding with a smile.

"I promise."

"Good, let's go."

You get to the car quickly enough and wait by the passenger door as Santana rounds the back and unlocks the vehicle. She gets behind the wheel and you open the door, moving to get in when she tells you to wait.

You frown, "What?"

Santana winces at the sound the vehicle makes as she turns it on and looks at you while cranking the heat and leaving the car in park.

"It's not that comfortable just sitting in the front." She says while getting out and closing the driver door as you watch in confusion. "There's more room in the back and I thought –"

"Oh my god, you're trying to get me in the backseat of your car?" you ask while laughing.

Santana blushes and averts her gaze while holding her arms tightly across her chest, and glances back at you when you close the door and open the back seat door. You clear your throat, your laughter ceasing, and give Santana a gentle smile over the roof of the car before you get in the back.

You shift and adjust the vents in the back as Santana gets in with you, pausing to look at her with a playful grin, "It's been a long time since I've been in anyone's backseat. And you're still my student so no funny business."

"Shut up." She grumbles with a deep blush, tucking her hair behind her ear as you grin widely at her reaction.

 _So cute_ , you think while deciding to tease her further, and scoot a little closer before leaning towards her.

"Maybe a _little_ funny business, if you ask nicely." You whisper with a playful smirk.

Santana gasps and looks at you with wide eyes, parting her lips in awe when you slowly wet your lips before biting the bottom suggestively.

"I uh…" she squeaks before swallowing and trying again, "I think –"

"Yeah?" you tilt your head, smiling sweetly as you hold back from laughing as Santana's eyes drop to your lips before she quickly looks back up. Your smile grows and you can't hold back anymore before your start laughing. "I'm sorry!" you cover your mouth with your hands as you giggle uncontrollably, shaking your head.

"W-what?" Santana asks as her cheeks darken further. She clears her throat with a frown and glances away from you while running a hand through her hair.

Your laughing quiets until you force yourself to stop at seeing how upset Santana looks, and then you feel like a complete asshole.

"I'm sorry, I do shit like that."

You're probably the worst at apologizing and you don't realize it until Santana furrows her brows and shakes her head, opening the door.

"Wait, Santana!" you grab her arm, keeping her from getting out, and pull her back, ducking your head to catch her gaze when she closes the door. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to tease you. I mean, I did, but I took it too far. I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable." You tell her earnestly and without thinking you lift your hand and gently tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She subtly leans into the touch and you frown, feeling terrible for how you made her feel.

"I'm sorry." You tell her again, looking over her, before you pull on her coat and wrap your arms around her waist. And as awkward as it is, giving her a hug in the back of her car, while she faces _away_ from you, it obviously did its job.

"I'm fine." She mumbles and you pull back a bit to look at her. She sighs and offers a small smile in reassurance. You let out a relieved breath and Santana's smile grows causing you to smile. And again you're just staring at each other.

Until your phone rings, making the two of you jump and look away. You move back to your own seat while digging out your phone, and slide your thumb across the screen before bringing it to your ear.

"Hey, Q."

" _First of all, happy birthday, Britt_."

You smile faintly, glancing at Santana when she looks at you in surprise, "Thanks, Quinn."

" _Of course. Now second_ , _where are you, I knocked on your door for like five minutes and then figured you were at Derek's, but Kieran said you went out with Puck?"_

"Uh, yeah, I'm still with him." You say quickly, glancing at Santana who is watching, "We just went out for a drink, I'll get him to drop me off in a few –"

" _I know you're not with Puck, Brittany. I called him_."

"Oh…"

" _Yeah, oh. Did you not learn anything from our high school years? When you lie about being with someone, you make sure to let them in on it so they can back you up. Now please tell me you're not with who I think you are_." You wince and glance at Santana again, shaking your head when she opens her mouth.

"I am…but nothing –"

" _I'm so going to kick your ass_."

"Quinn, it's not –"

" _You have half an hour to get back to your place or I give Santana a D on her paper_."

"Quinn Fabray!" you exclaim in disbelief and wait for a reply when the line goes dead. You clench your jaw and put your phone back in your purse before looking at Santana apologetically.

* * *

"Sorry we didn't get to actually talk about whatever it is –"

"It's okay." Santana cuts you off and you look up at her while unbuckling your seatbelt. She forces a smile and you look at her sympathetically.

"Alright…" you say softly after studying her. She nods and you sigh heavily while grabbing her phone from a cup holder.

"What are you doing?" she frowns, moving to take it from you. You pull it from her reach while typing her code in, and open her contacts, putting your number and name in.

"Here." You hand it over and she looks at you, "So you don't have to show up at my brother's to talk to me. I mean, that's for…if you need someone to talk to." You reword quickly and she nods with a smile.

"Thanks."

"Of course." You smile and let out a breath before nodding, "See you in class, Santana." You reach for the handle, opening the door and look back at Santana when she pulls on the sleeve of your coat, forcing your back.

You jump and stare at Santana in shock as she stares at you the same, your faces inches from the others with Santana's free hand awkwardly held out like she had gone to hug you.

"Uh…" draws out past your parted lips as Santana licks her own. You subconsciously mirror her action, tasting vanilla and a hint of cinnamon from Santana's earlier Lima Bean coffee.

"I-I…I didn't mean –"

"It's fine, it was just –"

"I meant to give you a hug –"

"N-no, I know and –"

"I pulled too hard and too fast! I would _never_ –"

"I get it!" you cut her off again, quickly, with a shake of your head, "It's fine. It was an accident."

"An accident." She repeats quickly with a nod, looking between your eyes as you pull back, "Yeah, because we're friends, and you're Kieran's aunt, and we're not like _that_."

"Well I am – like that, I mean. Well half like that." You say quickly with an awkward chuckle.

Santana's brows raise and she takes a breath, "O-oh…you're…like that." You nod and offer a small smile as she clears her throat and lets out a nervous chuckle, "You, uh, like girls?"

"Yeah." You nod before shaking your head quickly when you make out the hint of relief in her eyes, "Women! I mean, I like _women_. Older women." You rush out as Santana nods along, "Not _older_ women. Older as in adult. I like adult women. My age."

"Right, yeah, obviously."

"Yeah…" You brush a stray strand of hair from your face and do a double take at Santana staring at your lips, feeling a strong flutter in your stomach. "Santana!" you exclaim and she jumps, snapping her gaze away from your lips.

"Sorry, I just – I really didn't mean to."

"Let's just not mention it again. We'll forget about it."

"Yeah, we won't even remember it happened." She nods and you mirror her movement before the two of you continue to stare at one another. Your eyes subtly drop to Santana's lips as she wets them before you shake your head with your eyes closed.

"Goodbye, Santana." You say quickly while hurrying to get out of the car.

"Wait, Brittany!" You glance back at her and she forces a smile, "Happy Birthday…"

You hesitate, mumbling a thank you with a faint smile before you close the door, and move to the side walk, hurrying towards Derek's house as Santana drives away. You press your hand against your forehead as you let out a shaky breath and look at your truck, getting inside.

* * *

You slam the driver door behind you after parking in your driveway, hearing Quinn get out of her car parked at the curb while you head straight for your door.

"Britt, you can't hang out with Santana alone, and outside of school, are you crazy?" she calls after you.

You ignore her, unlocking the front door, and kick your shoes off, dropping your keys and purse on the floor, not bothering to take your jacket off as you head straight for the kitchen. Quinn's quick footsteps follow and stop once the two of you reach the kitchen.

But you don't stop. Oh no.

You move to the fridge and yank it open, grabbing the unopened bottle of red wine meant for girls night two days from now.

"Britt?"

You pull away the foil around the cork before grabbing it and pulling it out. The loud pop goes off and you lift the bottle to your lips, taking five long gulps before Quinn takes the wine away.

"What the hell are you doing?" she shrieks as you place your hands flat against the counter surface, holding you up as your legs shake. "This was fifty dollars and not the kind of wine you down in thirty seconds."

You stare at the marble counter, clenching your jaw as you run over what transpired not fifteen minutes ago. It didn't even last a whole second yet you still feel the tingling on your lips and can still taste Santana. You stop mid swipe across your lip with your tongue and shake your head.

"Okay, you're starting to freak me out, what happened?" Quinn asks, moving closer to you. You glance up at her and she lifts her head slowly, "Something happened?"

You hesitate before wetting your lips and letting out a breath, "We sort of kissed."

"You _what_?"

* * *

 **A/N: Well...so they had a little accident lol.**

 **Next update: Sunday**

 **-B**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry for posting in the evening, had to work, but here is chapter 16. Hope you like it ;)**

 **-B**

* * *

 **January, 2021** :

"All in all you did amazing as a class on this test." You say, looking up from your senior biology class binder to look around the full classroom of students smiling and whispering with excitement.

"Ms. Pierce?" A hand shoots up and you look towards the Amanda, a blonde genius, and nod for her to go on. She drops her hand with a smile, sitting straight, "Can you tell us what the class average was?"

"You really want to know?" you ask with a teasing smile.

The room erupts with everyone calling out 'yes', making you laugh, having to quiet them down before they disrupt another class.

"This test average was the highest since I've been teaching." You state and grin as everyone slightly leans forwards, "Ninety-six point five percent."

You smile and chuckle as everyone cheers and begins to talk about they're going to kick the exams ass as you scan your eyes over all the students. They land on Santana just as she looks away from Tina, both beaming, and your eyes lock.

Her smile falters slightly and you look away, clearing your throat before the bell rings, signalling the end of the last school day before exams.

"It was an amazing semester and I'm honored to have been your teacher. Remember to study for exams, and come to the study sessions if you want some help. I have the schedule posted outside the door. If you decided not to come to any sessions then I'll see you at the exam." You finish and everyone rises. They all walk by you as you lean against your desk, and say their goodbyes, some shaking your hand and giving you quick hugs as well as thanking you.

You pat Tina on the back gently as she hugs you, and whisper by her ear how you know she's going to ace the exam, and pull back with a wink. She thanks you and leaves the room with the other students before looking back and stopping.

You look at Santana shifting in front of you and force a smile, "Good luck with the exam."

Santana nods and glances at Tina while opening her mouth, "I –" she hesitates and looks back at you, wincing before offering you a forced smile, "Our first exam study is today."

You lift your brows and nod slowly, standing properly, "So you are coming." You state as Santana sharply inhales at your proximity before taking a quick step back.

"Y-yeah. I'm going to be studying anyway, might as well do it here in case I have questions." She says quietly.

You take a breath and exhale slowly, glancing back towards the doors where Tina is looking out of the class, watching the students in the hall. "Might as well." You agree slowly, looking back at Santana.

She shifts and looks at the floor while you wet your lips and nod, "I'll see you at the session, Miss Lopez." You tell her and move around your desk, sinking into your chair. You log into your computer and open your exam prep folder, glancing out the corner of your eye at Santana as she hesitates before joining Tina and leaving the room.

You wait a few moments before leaning back in your chair, letting your hands drop to your lap, before lifting one to your forehead as your head falls back with your eyes closed; a sigh slipping past your lips.

* * *

"Brittany Susan Pierce, don't walk away from me!"

"Oh god…" you mumble, spinning right back around to retreat from Quinn at the other end of the hall.

"Brittany!"

You hurry down the hall, turning a corner, and groan when you see Finn standing outside the gym talking with two of his students, one sporting a black eye. He does a double take and smiles in greeting at you as you get closer.

"Hey, Britt, don't you usually hang out in your class during your spare?" Finn asks.

"I do. Not today." You say quickly, walking by him when you hear Quinn tell you to stop. "Shit." You break into a run, looking back as Quinn calls after you.

Your heels click loudly against the flooring, and you turn a corner, sharply, before shoving the girl's bathroom open and slipping inside.

"Oof!" you stumble back against the door, your hands flying out to hold Santana steady by her waist, shushing her quickly as you hear Quinn run by, and let out a relieved breath when her footsteps fade.

You lift your head from the door and only then register how close you and Santana are. How your hands are gently gripping her waist. How her hands hold onto your arms just as tight, yet just as gentle.

"Sorry." You drop your hands from her and she ducks her head, glancing at the floor as she steps back from you.

"It's okay." She smiles faintly, tightening her high ponytail before brushing off the front of her Cheerios uniform. You wet your lips as she does so, and rake your eyes down her body, feeling that frustrating flutter inside. "Miss Pierce?"

You snap your head up, locking your eyes on hers.

"Sorry, what?"

"I just wanted to apologize, again…for what happened."

You shake your head with a frown, "It's fine, Santana. It was an accident."

"I know, I just thought I should apologize again."

"There's no need." You tell her, straightening. Santana eyes you closely before nodding and crossing her arms over her chest, "How was the rest of your break? Kieran hasn't mentioned if you've talked."

"That's probably because we haven't."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'm not ready to talk to him just yet." She says quietly, furrowing her brows as she lowers her gaze to the floor. You tilt your head and she scuffs the toe of her shoe against the floor, "I'm still trying to figure things out. Like where I am regarding our relationship, you know?"

"Not really. I suck at relationships, remember?" you chuckle.

Santana lets out a short laugh, glancing up at your through her long lashes, her lips curled slightly, "I doubt that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" you chuckle, leaning back against the door, praying no one decides to come in any time soon.

"It means, I doubt you suck at relationships; that your past relationships haven't worked out because whoever you were with couldn't handle all your awesomeness. And that because of that, they purposefully caused it to fail, leaving you to believe you suck at being with someone, when in reality you're just too good for them."

You slowly smile, biting your lip and dropping your gaze to the floor to try and hide it, glancing up at the smiling teenager when she hums.

"That sounds about right." You say with a smug grin.

She lets out a laugh, shaking her head fondly at you, "Right? I'm sure you're an amazing girlfriend. Anyone would be lucky to have you." She finishes quietly, clearing her throat when you tilt your head at her. "I uh…" You watch her closely as she slowly steps closer to you, keeping her eyes lowered, "I should get going." She says, looking at you while reaching for the door. "Cedes and Tina are waiting for me."

You take in a breath as the distance between the two of you shortens, and watch as Santana's gaze flickers down to your lips.

"Okay." You mumble breathlessly, watching her tongue poke out to wet her bottom lip.

You hear a group of girls laughing before the bathroom door is pushed open, and you stumble into Santana as she is forced backwards. The laughing stops and the three girls gasp, quickly apologizing and asking if you're okay, while you and Santana separate.

"I'm good." You say, nodding, and step back to let the three move further into the bathroom, before you and Santana leave and head in opposite directions with equally red cheeks.

* * *

"Okay, anything else you want to review for Genetics?" you ask, turning to face the twenty-one seniors sitting in your class, forty minutes after the end bell went off.

"Can we go over the steps of Translation?"

You nod your head, flipping through the review outline to the correct page, and scan your eyes over the paper, searching for the question.

"Okay. Can someone tell me what the first step of the translation process is?" you look up from the paper while placing it on your desk and turning to the whiteboard behind you. You pick up a green dry erase marker, uncapping it, and glance over your shoulder, waiting for a volunteer.

When no one raises their hand or gives out the answer, you arch a brow and glance to the right, "Declan."

The brown haired boy groans and drops his head into his hand, flipping through his notes as you wait patiently, "A small subunit attaches near the end at the first start codon of mRNA."

You nod along while writing the step on the board, adding an open bracket at the end, "And what's special about the translation of RNA, Oliver?"

"Only translation RNA has start and stop codons."

"Exactly." You write the information in the brackets, drawing arrows to the words _stop_ and _start_ , "Can someone tell me the code for stop and start?" You write 'AUG' above start, and 'UAA' above stop when the answer is given, swapping the green marker for a red one to begin the next step. "What's the second step?" you ask, waiting, and turn around when no one answers, "Santana?"

Santana quickly lifts her head like she did the first day in your class, and you give her a reassuring smile, encouraging her to give it a shot, "The transfer RNA attaches anticodon complements to the codon on the messenger RNA."

"Can you give an example?" you ask after writing her answer down.

"AUG from the messenger, attaches to UAC of the transfer."

"Good. What else?" You look at Santana and she arches a brow, making you smile in amusement, "You missed an important part of the step." She furrows her brows, thinking, and you tilt your head, giving a hint, "Has to do with amino acids."

"Oh, right! The tRNA transfers the amino acids to the mRNA and it's the tRNA's job to bring the amino acids to the proper location."

"Perfect." You nod, holding her gaze for a second longer before turning to write her answer down.

* * *

By five o'clock you're sliding your class binders into your bag and logging out of your computer. All the students already left the session, and you'd call it a success. You managed to cover Genetics and the majority of Forensic Science, only having to answer a few questions the students had for their review booklets.

You turn your computer screen off and do a double take when you see some pieces of loose leaf on the ground, along with a stray pencil, and an empty bag of single serving chips.

You get up, moving through the desks, cleaning up the floor when there is a knock at the open door. You straighten and look up, smiling faintly at Santana as she pulls the strap of her backpack tighter against her.

"Hey, did you forget something?" you ask, walking over to the garbage by your desk.

"No," she answers, "Well, nothing physical."

You pause from straightening out the papers on your desk, and glance at her as she gawks at herself, shaking her head, "I mean concrete. Like a concrete object. I didn't forget anything concrete." She rushes out.

"So you have everything but…" you draw out in question, putting one hand on your hip and the other flat against your desk.

"Can I talk to you?"

"We are talking."

"Well yeah, I mean, ugh! Can I talk to you?" she huffs and you nod, waving for her to go on. You sit on the edge of your desk as Santana moves to close your classroom door before she sits on the desk directly in front of yours. She takes her backpack off and sets it beside her, crossing her ankles as she fidgets with the hem of her skirt, "Hypothetically speaking…"

You let out a soft chuckle and Santana glances at you with a frown.

"Sorry, go on."

She hesitates before rolling her eyes and starting over, "Hypothetically speaking, say there was this girl and she had two friends. One of which she knew longer and was her best friend, while the other she met only recently but they became close quickly."

"Okay." You nod.

"So, the girl's best friend wants her to go to a party, but the other friend wants her to just hang out at her place. What should the girl do?" she asks slowly, looking at you.

You stare at her with a blank look on your face as Santana waits for you to reply.

"Is this like a riddle?"

"No, Britt." She sighs, adjusting her ponytail, "What should the girl do. She doesn't want to let her best friend down, but she'd rather just hang out with the other friend."

"If she wants to hang out with the other one, then she should hang out with the other one. Simple."

"It's not that simple." She shakes her head stubbornly, "If she did that, her best friend would get upset and their friendship would be over."

"If her friend stopped being her friend because she didn't go to the party, then she shouldn't have been her friend in the first place." You shrug as Santana throws her hands up.

"It's more complicated than that!"

"Don't yell at me, I'm just trying to help." You tell her with narrowed eyes.

"You're not taking it seriously."

"Stop with the hypothetical bullshit and just tell me what's going on." You say in annoyance.

"You know what, forget it. Thanks for the help." She grumbles, grabbing her backpack as she gets off the table and heads for the door.

You jump up and go after her, grabbing her arm, "Don't just walk away from me, Santana." You say, making her stop, "I'm trying to help but you're talking in riddles and I can't understand the real issue here because I know this isn't about Mercedes wanting to party and Kurt wanting to hang out at his place." You state, looking at her as you keep your fingers wrapped around her arm.

"No, it's not." She admits quietly, pulling her arm away from you, "It's about the girl's boyfriend who wants them to be fine and in love, and intimate. And the girl who'd rather spend time with her teacher who she apparently has feelings for, when she didn't think that would ever happen. Or that it could happen."

You pull your head back as you watch Santana pull her backpack strap even tighter against her. She looks up at you after a moment and you furrow your brows as you shake your head, "That, um…I don't know what to say to that."

Santana scoffs quietly, shaking her head before looking back at you sadly, "Yeah, well, what do you say when your student tells you they have feelings for you."

You take a sharp, silent breath, glancing around the area behind Santana, and focus on her when she shakes her head and retreats out of the room.

* * *

 **A/N: Soooo? What do you think? I really hope the DNA business is right, I was running off memory from biology two years ago, so if it's all totally wrong, then whoops; my bad.**

 **Next update will be Tuesday.**

 **-B**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So this one is one of the longer chapters so far, so there's that. Ive still been getting questions on Britt and Santana's age, so lets clear it up again lol; Britt as mentioned in chapter 15 I believe it was, was wished a happy birthday, now making her 26. Santana is still 17 for the time being.**

 **-B**

* * *

 **February, 2021** :

You sit back in your couch, crossing your legs under you as you take a sip of your coffee and read over another long answer for your senior biology class. It's been about a week since the exams ended, and you were almost finished marking them all.

You swallow the coffee in your mouth and rest the cup on your knee, flipping the page of the exam with the hand holding it to continue reading.

You quietly read aloud, mentally marking the informational and grammatical errors as well as punctuation. You may be a biology teacher, but you kick ass in English.

Your cup is placed on the coffee table and you pull your pen from resting behind your ear, clicking the back of it to scribble the markings on the exam along with the calculated grade, writing a large 'B+' in the left corner of the front of the booklet.

Dropping it into the pile of completed exams, you pick up the next one and pause from leaning back into the couch when you read the name.

' _Santana_ _Lopez_ '

You chew lightly at your bottom lip and run your eyes over the front page before you let out a sigh and flip it open. You get through her exam pretty quickly, only having to take six marks off the entire thing, leaving her with a final letter grade of 'A+'.

"Of course." You mumble with a faint smile, looking at your phone when it buzzes against the table. You place Santana's exam on the pile and grab your phone, unlocking the screen.

 **New Message From: Unknown Number**

 **Hi…**

You arch a brow and run your hand through your hair, pulling your knees to your chest as you type out a short reply.

 **Message To: Unknown Number**

 **Hi. Who is this?**

You suck on your bottom lip as you wait, watching the newest message appear on the screen.

 **New Message From: Unknown Number**

 **Right, sorry. It's Santana.**

You run your tongue along the back of your teeth and clench your jaw as you stare at the screen, not knowing if you should reply.

You haven't seen, nor have you spoken to her since she told you she had feelings for you. According to Tina she had been studying at home. You only saw her for two seconds when she walked into the gym for the exam, and missed her on her way out.

You try holding back from replying too quickly by adding Santana to your contacts, thinking of what to name her before settling.

 **Message To: Santana**

 **What do you want?**

 **New Message From: Santana**

 **Do you think you could help me out with something?**

You furrow your brows in confusion.

 **Message To: Santana**

 **Depending on what it is, maybe.**

You wait for a reply and get up when your doorbell rings, rechecking your phone in case Santana replied. Running a hand through your hair, you fix the front of your oversized hoodie, and pull the door open.

Your jaw drops as Santana turns to face you with a nervous smile.

You look from your phone back at the teenager, and then to street, looking for her car.

"I took a cab." She says and you look back at her, "I didn't think it'd be a great idea for my car to be in your driveway."

You close your mouth and clear your throat, tilting your head at her, "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"You didn't answer mine."

You glare at the girl as she arches a brow. Taking a calming breath, you step to the side, opening the door wider to let her in, and watch as she enters, looking around as she does so. You close the door behind her, and cross your arms as you watch her take her shoes off.

Your eyes subconsciously drift lower to her backside as she pulls her second shoe off, her jeans tight against her curves, and swallow, shaking your head.

"Santana, seriously, what are you doing here?"

She looks back at you and runs her hand through her hair with a faint smile before pulling a folder out of her backpack, "I wanted to ask if you wouldn't mind helping me with my university applications."

Your expression softens and she pulls her bottom lip into her mouth while holding out the folder.

"You want me to help?" you ask, flipping it open. You scan through the names of the schools she's applying to, nodding in approval at them.

"Also, if you wouldn't mind writing a letter of recommendation." She says causing you to glance at her. She smiles and puts her hands in her back pockets, turning around. "I like your place." She calls while walking around the small main floor, admiring the décor as you slowly follow her further into your house.

"Thanks…I guess." You mumble and close the folder.

Santana drops down from standing on her toes, and lets her hand fall onto the back of your couch.

"You can sit." You tell her and she nods, moving around the couch, "But don't touch anything. I'm marking exams. Do you want something to drink?"

"You just marked my exam?" she asks loudly and you rush over and grab the exam booklet before she can. She looks at you with wide eyes and a frown, "You already marked it! Why can't I look over it?"

"Because, you can't, that's why." You tell her quickly, and move to the kitchen, "Is water okay?"

"No, I'm okay. I'm not thirsty or anything."

You glance back over at her and cautiously walk over, reclaiming your seat, a few inches away from where Santana decided to sit. She watches you put her exam in the pile, under half of them, and huffs, leaning back in the couch while grabbing her folder.

"I'm guessing you won't be able to help until you finish all of this."

You let out a heavy sigh and nod, picking up the next exam you need to mark, "You'd be correct."

"So I came here for nothing?"

"How did you even find my address?" you ask suddenly, looking at her and Santana shifts, glancing away from you.

"I used this website. You type in the phone number and it gives you the corresponding address." She admits quietly with a faint blush.

You blink before shaking your head and run your hand through your hair, leaving your hand tangled in your locks as you look over the first page of answers. You get through two exams before Santana breaks the silence, causing you to close your eyes.

"I could help. With the multiple choice bit."

"I'm fine, Santana." You mumble, turning the page as you open your eyes.

"I'm being serious."

"So am I." you tell her, giving her a pointed look.

She tucks some hair behind her ear, and shrugs, "I'm just offering. You'd be finished sooner."

"I can't have a student marking other student's exams."

"It's multiple choice." She states blankly.

"I know." You tell her and pull the booklet away from her when she reaches out, "Stop, I'm not kidding."

"Why are you so uptight?" she asks with a frown and you give her an incredulous look. "Seriously, you're not usually all strict and short with me."

"God, I don't know!" You snap, "I need these exams finished before tomorrow and you being here and trying to get a glimpse of your grade is keeping me from doing that. As is you trying to convince me to let you help. And then there's you dropping a bomb on me and then walking out before I had a chance to try and talk about it, only for you to show up on my doorstep and act like everything's fine. Like we're friends! We're not." You yell, slamming the booklet on the coffee table. "We're not friends. I'm your teacher. I'm your teacher and you're dating my nephew. So please, just back off and let me do what I'm supposed to do. I can't handle you coming to me like I'll drop everything just to help you, or have you telling me all your problems when I have plenty of my own."

You let out a shaky breath, panting slightly as you hold your hand to your forehead, keeping your eyes closed. Your hand shakes as you run it down your face before it drops to your knee. You look at Santana and she stares at you with her jaw clenched and grip tight on the folder.

Your shoulder slump in defeat and you let out a sigh, shaking your head as you glance around, "I'm sorry." You say quietly, "I'm…I'm just stressed at the moment and I can't deal with…" you trail off, frowning in question when Santana stands up, throwing her application folder on the coffee table.

"You don't get to snap at me." She says firmly and you furrow your brows at her while crossing your arms.

"Excuse me?"

"You don't get to snap at me." She repeats and you open your mouth to respond when she moves forwards, crashing your lips together. You gasp and she pulls your face closer to hers, pressing her lips to yours again while straddling your right thigh.

You feel your stomach flutter violently as well as a tug on your heart when the tip of Santana's tongue pokes out against your lower lip, causing you to let out an involuntary, and surprising, moan.

Her lips curl into a grin at the sound before she drops one hand to your shoulder while the other runs along to the back of your neck.

Her body presses further against your own and you pull your head back to take a much needed gasp of air, shaking your head faintly when Santana leans back in, "Stop. We can't – I can't do this." You tell her and watch as she furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "Just…" you wince and nudge the teenager off your lap so you can get to your feet, "This is so wrong, on so many levels." You mumble while beginning to pace.

"Why?" Santana huffs in frustration; throwing a hand up before letting it drop back to the couch.

You still your pacing to give her an incredulous look before shaking your head at her and continuing, "You're dating my nephew. I don't mean just nephew, he's like my own little brother, he means that much to me. And that's one thing, but then there's the added bonus of you being my student and the fact that you're a _minor_. Fuck I'm so screwed!"

"Would you stop coming up with excuses as to why this shouldn't happen?" she snaps and you stop and look at her in disbelief. She stares at you and you cross your arms, shaking your head, "I know, okay? I'm not an idiot. I know that you're his aunt and I know you love him. I know that you being my teacher means nothing can happen, and that my age is an issue."

"Exactly, so this can't happen!"

"It can!" she argues, getting off the couch, "I understand the risks that you'd be taking and I don't want to be the reason for you to get fired or for your relationship with Kieran to end poorly, in the event that people find out that there is something between us, but –" you clench your jaw and swallow as Santana stops in front of you with her hands in her hair, "God…If we just forget about everything else, let it all fade into the background, and focus on this – on us…I _know_ my feelings aren't one-sided."

You take an automatic step back when Santana steps towards you, and look away from her as you run your hand through your hair and let out a shaky breath.

"Britt…"

You glance at her as she steps closer, and shake your head, "Don't." you put your hand out to stop her and take a sharp breath when she only uses it to pull you closer.

"Brittany."

You lift your head to look at her and search her eyes as her hands fist the front of your hoodie, biting her lip as she patiently waits. It's just too much.

"Fuck." You mumble before crashing your lips together.

* * *

Your body heats every time Santana's hands run over you, and every kiss leaves you breathless but wanting more.

Somehow, while the two of you were too preoccupied with keeping your mouths pressed together, you managed to relocate to the hallway leading to the bedrooms and washroom with Santana pinned between you and the wall; her hands working on pulling your hoodie over your head.

"Wow…" she breathes, dropping the piece of clothing on the floor.

You lightly scrape your teeth against her jaw and pull back a bit to follow her gaze to your half naked torso.

"God, your body is amazing."

You quirk an amused brow as you smile fondly at the girl, letting out a chuckle when she lifts her hands to run over your toned stomach.

"You sound surprised."

"It's just that you're twenty-six…"

You let out a laugh as you shake your head, leaning back in to continue your open mouthed assault on her neck, "Do you know how ridiculous that sounded?" you breathe against her skin while running your hands along her sides, under her shirt.

"Yes." She squeaks, arching away from the wall and into you as your tongue runs flat against her neck. You drag your nails down her back, enticing a gasp from her lips, and pull her closer to you while stepping forwards, flattening her back against the wall. "You're killing me…"

You chuckle lowly, running your hands down her arms to her hands, and lift them up over her head. Your fingers link together and you pull your head back, holding her darkened gaze.

"We should stop." You tell her softly and she shakes her head, leaning forwards to connect your lips. You melt against her and half-heartedly fight for control of the kiss as you feel Santana's arms fall around your shoulders.

"No stopping." She whispers, biting your lip and pulling back slowly. You suck on your bottom lip when she lets you go, and stare at her as she licks her lips with sparkling, hooded eyes.

You let out a possessive growl and grab the backs of her thighs, lifting her up. Her legs automatically wrap around your waist as she tilts your head back to kiss you. You carry her to your room, turning around to push the door open with you back, and kick it closed once you're in.

Santana's nails trail down the sides of your neck as she sucks on the tip of your tongue, pulling a moan from the back of your throat. When you're at your bed, you turn and lean forwards, laying her back on the mattress before you remove your leggings.

She rids herself of her shirt as you start on her tight jeans, and tosses the pink top to the floor before leaning back on her elbows to watch you. You slide the jeans down her legs with little help from the teenager, and swallow as you glance up at her.

It's that tiny upturn of her lips that does it for you, and you're grabbing her by the backs of her knees, and pulling her closer to the edge of the bed. She yelps in surprise with a smile and lets out a giggle, pulling on your hands to make you lean down.

With a couple quick kisses to your lips, she pulls off your sports bra, and unclips her own, letting the straps fall down her arms.

"Jesus…" you lick your lips as you stare at her, Santana doing the same to you, and straddle her lap, forcing her gently back against the bed as your mouths connect.

Her legs wrap around your lower back, ankles locking, and you keep your one hand pressed into the mattress to support you as you kiss the girl, your other hand slowly running over her toned thigh. You gently squeeze her thigh as your tongues meet, and furrow your brows in thought.

Your lips curl into a wide smile and Santana hums in question before you chuckle against her lips.

"What?"

"Did you plan this?" you ask, pulling your head back. Santana arches a brow and you roll your eyes fondly, tapping her thigh, "You're as smooth as a baby's bottom."

Your smile grows at her blush and you slide your hand back down her thigh to her hip, "You came here to seduce me." You playfully accuse, with a wicked smirk.

"I came here to get some help with my applications, hoping things would go my way and that there might be some kissing."

"Right." You say skeptically.

"You're so annoying." She states with an eye roll, grabbing your hand. "Now can we continue?" she asks sweetly, moving your hand to the hem of her panties. Your stomach flips in excitement and you bite your lip, nodding as you lean back down to kiss her.

You keep your hand where it is and trail your kisses down her neck, sucking and licking, leaving only faint marks that will likely disappear in a few hours, and slide your hand up her flat stomach, cupping her breast.

She arches into you with a gasp and covers your hand with hers, urging you to squeeze. You do so and she lets out a breath, her other hand digging into your shoulder. You cover her chest with hot kisses, her skin burning up beneath your lips, and run your tongue down to her left breast, wrapping your lips around her nipple as you palm her right breast.

"Ohhh god!" she whines, holding your head where it is. You pull back, watching her chest rise and fall heavily as she stares up at you with dark, hooded eyes, and lean back down, leaving bite marks, not deep enough to hurt, and hickeys all over her chest, claiming her. "Fuck, Britt, I need you to touch me."

"Okay…" you whisper and crawl off of her. She whimpers at your absence before squeaking in surprise when you pull her to the edge of your bed and hook her legs over your shoulders after sliding her panties down her legs. "Sit up."

"What?"

"Sit up." You smile, turning your head. Your lips brush the inside of her thigh as you watch her push herself up lazily. "Good girl." You whisper before kissing her skin. She hums, one of her hands tangling in your hair, and you bite the same spot you just kissed, causing her to hiss just before you run your tongue over it. Her heels dig into your back as you repeat your actions a little closer to her core. You wrap your arms around her waist, helping to hold her up, and look at her through your lashes, "Ready?"

She nods vigorously and you lean forwards, suddenly stopping right before your lips touch her center. She groans in frustration, trying to bring you closer while you resist.

"Wait" you say quickly, "Have you…?" you trail off, tilting your head.

"Brittany –"

"Santana."

She huffs, glaring at you, "Why?"

You shrug, shifting faintly, "I just want to know if you've…you know."

Her eyes soften and she runs her hand through your hair, nodding stiffly. You falter, furrowing your brows before Santana calls your name gently, "Not with…" you let out a breath in relief and watch Santana's lips twitch into a smile.

"Okay." You nod and run your tongue flat through her soaking folds. Her fingers curl into a fist, pulling on your hair. You wrap your lips around her clit, and bring your right arm back, pushing two digits inside her as you suck.

You thrust into her for a few minutes before pulling out, and go back to lapping at her center completely, watching her free hand grip the bedding. "Br-Britt…" she pants, lifting her hips now and then. You hum and she moans when you push your tongue inside, as deep as you can go. You continue to tongue fuck her and feel her start to clench around you, only then pulling out.

You remove her legs from your shoulder, and grab the back of her left thigh, wrapping your left arm around her waist, and move her backwards on the bed so you can settle on the mattress. When she opens her mouth to protest, you silence her with your mouth, sliding your tongue passed her lips to let her taste herself. She moans loudly, holding your cheeks as you slide your hand between your bodies, entering her again with two digits.

You move slowly, building her up, and pull her bottom lip between your teeth. You release her and she pants against your mouth as you watch her get closer and closer to reaching her peak. She moans your name deeply, clenching and unclenching around your fingers, twitching as she comes undone beneath you and you kiss her neck softly, as you pull your fingers out from her.

"S-shit…" she pants, humming and licking her lips as you suck on her pulse point.

"Good?" you whisper in question, pulling your head back to look at her with a smirk. She nods quickly, smiling lazily at you. You let out a fond chuckle and bring your fingers to her lips.

"Really?" she asks, looking between you and your hand. You shrug and bring them to your lips, sucking them clean as she watches with wide eyes and parted lips. "Fuck, Britt…" she breathes as you giggle and lean in, kissing her.

You get lost in the moment, cupping her cheek as your tongues run over the other, not noticing Santana's hand move from your arm until she slides past your underwear and through your wet folds. Your hips jerk as you moan into her mouth, nodding for her to keep going, and continue to roll against her hand when she sneaks a finger inside you.

"Jesus…" you breathe, biting your lip as you hide your face in the crook of her neck. You feel her push another finger in, pulling out and pushing in again, going at a steady pace, and curse against her skin.

"Am I doing it right?" she asks and you nod, moaning when she hits your spot.

"Right there!" she pauses before resuming, proceeding to hit your spot repeatedly until you're crying out and clenching around her fingers. You twitch a couple times as you come down from your high, and lick your lips, moaning quietly when she removes her fingers. You turn your head and watch her hesitantly wrap her lips around them, her eyes closing as she unknowingly lets out a sound of approval.

You snort in amusement and she snaps her eyes open, blushing at being caught, causing you to laugh and pull her hand from her mouth.

"You are so fucking adorable." You tell her, pulling her into a long, slow kiss.

* * *

 **A/N: So...I mean she _tried_ to hold out. So let's see what y'all thought about this one ;) and as always, update will be Thursday! Mwah!**

 **-B**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Well your reactions to last chapter were quite amusing lmao, I'm glad everyone seemed to enjoy it!**

 **-B**

* * *

 **February, 2021** :

You let out a content hum, turning your head slightly towards your window, too exhausted and comfortable to even open your eyes and check your phone to see how much time you have before your alarm goes off.

You almost miss the soft giggle coming from your right, and furrow your brows in confusion when a pair of lips press against your neck. Your muscles relax while warning bells go off in your head, and you hesitantly turn your head, looking at Santana who just pulls her head back with a shy smile.

"Hey…" she whispers while leaning in. You return the kiss while your eyes remain wide open, everything that happened only a few hours earlier flooding your mind.

 _Oh shit…_

"Ugh," she groans, pulling back with a smile, "I can't believe that actually happened." You swallow roughly as she looks at the ceiling, shaking her head with a growing smile, "It was so perfect. _You_ were so perfect. God, I didn't think I could ever feel that, you know?"

Your expression softens as you continue to watch and listen to Santana as she gushes about how amazing she feels and as much as you love hearing it, you're also freaking out because you just broke the fucking law and totally ruined your relationship with Kieran; god forbid he ever finds out.

You clench your jaw, holding back the urge to vomit as you continue to think about how you ruined everything, and blink rapidly to get rid of the tears forming in your eyes.

"Everything is so clear now…" Santana says softly, playing with your hand, "I mean, I had a suspicion that I might be…you know, like that, a while back but I kept ignoring it; and I'm talking even before Kieran. But then I met him and he was a really nice guy and we became really good friends fast and so I thought _why not_ when he asked me out. But then Kieran had me over for dinner and I saw you –" she lets out a soft chuckle as you stare at the ceiling, "I should've known right then. I couldn't stop thinking that you were incredibly hot, but at the same time you were so beautiful and cute – which was weird. I mean you could go from cute to hot in like a second. That's talent."

You wince, and glance at her.

"You were so the reason I transferred classes." She grins, looking at you, "Yeah, Mrs. Maddison is boring as hell, but I could've stayed in her class and done just as well. I just can't believe it took me this long to realize that I'm…and that I have such strong feelings for you. It's…it's insane." She lets out a breath, looking between your eyes as you try to avoid her gaze; clenching your jaw while you keep your tears from falling.

You swallow, feeling her stare, and a tear runs down your cheek.

"Fuck." You say quietly, turning your head away from her to wipe your cheek when another tear falls from your other eye. "Fuck." You repeat, quickly wiping the second tear away when Santana calls you softly, shifting.

"Britt, what's wrong?" she asks.

"Nothing. I'm fine." You say quickly, sniffing before you look at her and force a smile.

Her expression immediately changes from one of confusion to one of concern, and her free hand flies up to your cheeks, her thumb wiping away another tears, "You're crying. Something's wrong."

"I'm fine, Santana." You tell her, pulling her hand from your cheek. She frowns slightly and you get out of bed, avoiding her gaze as you move to your dresser and pull out another hoodie. You pull it on, and chance a glance at her, averting your eyes when she catches your look.

"You're freaking out." She states and you let out a laugh, shaking your head.

"I'm not freaking out." You lie, grabbing a hair tie from the top of your dresser. You pull your hair into a messy bun, and subtly wipe under your eye with your back turned to the teenager sitting in your bed naked.

"Is it something I said?"

"No–It's…it's not that." you mumble, gathering the discarded clothes from your floor. You toss Santana's on the bed, and grab your bra and leggings, looking at them, considering putting them back on, and shake your head. You'll have to shower anyway.

"Then what is it?" Santana asks, "Was…was I bad?"

You look at her and shake your head quickly, "No! Don't think that. Ever, because that's not the case." You promise before averting your eyes and putting your leggings and bra in the hamper.

"Then what is it?" she calls as you head to the hallway, picking up your discarded hoodie before returning to your room to deal with it. "If it's not something I said, and I wasn't bad at doing… _it_ …then why are you acting like –"

You tense when she stops short, and don't even think about turning around to look at her.

"Wait, do you regret it?" she asks in a whisper.

Your eyes close and shake your head faintly, opening them and glance up. Your jaw clenches as the tears fall freely, and you hear Santana slowly get out of bed.

"You regret it?" she asks, her voice cracking as she does so.

You reluctantly look at her and when she sees the tears and your apologetic look she shakes her head and covers her mouth with her hand while tears immediately form in her eyes.

"It's not that I regret –"

"You can't just admit you regret sleeping with me and then go back and try to deny it!" she exclaims, turning her back on you to quickly pull on her clothes.

"I didn't admit to regretting it!"

"You didn't deny it either which by default means you admitted it." She mumbles, her voice higher in pitch. She wipes her eyes before pulling on her shirt and you shake your head, grabbing her jeans before she does.

"I don't regret it how you think." You say quickly as Santana snatches her jeans from you.

"But you do regret it." She scoffs, giving you a sharp, teary eyed look, "I can't believe I–" she stops and glances up, and you know she's trying to keep from crying, "We slept together and you just– It didn't mean anything!" she shouts before choking out a cry and your heart breaks.

"Of course it meant something," you say quickly, reaching out for her. She pulls away, avoiding looking at you as she pulls her jeans on, "It was amazing and it meant so much to me! That's why I'm freaking out."

"I thought you weren't freaking out. So you lied about _that_ , and you're expecting me to believe you when you say that it meant something to you?" she asks, lifting her hand when you reach out again, " _Don't_ touch me."

You cross your arms tightly over your chest, clenching your jaw as you watch her pick up her panties mixed in the covers, and look over herself before she looks at you and throws them at you.

"Wha– Santana!" you call, following after her as she leaves your room. You stuff the underwear in your hoodie pocket with an eye roll and reach out, pulling back when you remember what she said. "Look, I don't regret sleeping with you! I regret that it happened!"

Santana looks at you incredulously as she grabs the folder of university applications, and scoffs, "You know, for a teacher, you're a fucking idiot."

You pull your head back in shock and narrow your eyes at her, "Excuse me?"

"You don't regret sleeping with me, you regret that it happened. What the fuck does that even mean, Brittany?" she snaps while walking towards you.

"It means that I wanted to be with you and don't regret it." You hiss, "What I regret, is that it happened."

"Again, you're a _idiot_." She states, walking towards the door.

"I'm still your teacher, you can't talk to me like that."

"When we're not in school I sure can." She says.

"I never would've believed it if someone told me that you were a bitch." You tell her loudly when she opens the door. She stops and looks back at you, "Hell, I didn't believe it when Kieran told me. I defended you. A girl I've known for a couple months, rather than my own blood. But damn, Santana, I was completely wrong in defending you, and if anything makes me a fucking idiot, as you so put, that would be it."

"You're agreeing with Kieran." She states in mild amusement. You clench your jaw and she lets out a disbelieving chuckle before closing the door and crossing her arms. "The only reason he has for calling me a bitch is because I wouldn't sleep with him at that party." She nods slowly, watching for your reaction, "He didn't tell you that part did he? Which probably means he didn't tell you how when I repeatedly said no, he made a scene in front of everyone, claiming I was cheating on him and that's why I wouldn't sleep with him."

"Wait–"

"Or how after he made his little accusation, one of his dick friends whispered in his ear before he suggested I would sleep with him if he was a girl." Santana clenches her jaw and you mirror her, feeling your anger rise; directed at Kieran rather than Santana. "Then there was him and his friends trying to convince one of my Cheerios to kiss me, and then the taunting…And there is only so much a girl can take before she snaps." She states, "So yeah, if that makes me a bitch, then fine. But what does that make him?"

You stand there, stock still, utterly speechless as you watch Santana leave your house, slamming the door as she goes; and sink down to the arm of your living room chair, running your hands over your face.

* * *

"We're not open for, like, another five hours."

"I need a drink."

Puck lifts his head, stopping from wiping down the bar, and grins at you curiously as you walk over. You take the stool right in front of him and hold your head in your hand.

"What are you doing here?" he chuckles, resuming wiping the counter, "I thought you had all those exams to mark by tonight."

"I do, but I need a drink." You tell him, glancing through your lashes.

He stops cleaning and eyes you for a moment before throwing the towel over his shoulder and reaching for a tall glass to pour your beer.

"Not that." you say and Puck puts the glass back, his brows furrowed as you scan the shelves behind him, "What's that blue bottle?" you point to it on the third shelve from the top.

"That would be tequila which I know you don't –"

"Three shots."

"…drink." he finishes as you look at him expectantly, "Are you okay?" he asks quietly and you nod, giving him a tight lipped smile while you tap your fingers against the edge of the bar. "You're sure? I mean, you never drink tequila. You say –"

"It makes me forget, I know." You roll your eyes and pull a twenty from your wallet, slapping it on the top of the bar, "So you going to serve me or am I getting behind the bar myself?" Puck eyes you carefully with a frown before shaking his head and lining three shot glasses. He pulls the bottle from the shelf and looks at you, silently asking if you're sure, and you nod, swallowing as you watch the clear liquid fill the glasses one by one.

* * *

You hold your fist in front of your mouth as you cough, your throat burning as the alcohol runs down it. Your nose scrunches instinctively and you inwardly curse yourself for going with tequila. You fucking hate tequila. You fucking hate it yet you still got it. You're subconsciously punishing yourself for being the biggest fucking _idiot_ to ever walk the planet. Santana was totally right.

"She always is." You mumble to yourself with a pathetic chuckle. You take the third shot, staring at it, and hold back a gag at the thought of swallowing it. "Oh god…" you whine before throwing it back. You hack and grab two limes from the bunch Puck is cutting for tonight, and suck on them, chewing when you can't get any more juice.

"Okay, Britt, that's enough." Puck he grimaces, holding a cup out. You spit the limes in it and point at him with a wink as he drops the whole cup in the garbage.

"That is such a waste of glass." You tell him, biting your lip to keep from bursting out laughing when you hear how you sound.

"For the sake of your pride I hope you don't remember this." He mumbles and you nod, slapping the counter twice.

"As do I, Monsieur." He arches a brow at your try for a French accent and you flop forwards to lean closer to him, "Did you know I can speak French? Oui." You nod and Puck blinks at you before looking over your shoulder. "We only speak French in here!" you shout and laugh at Puck's wide eyes. He opens his mouth and you shush him sharply, "Parles-vous francais?" you whisper.

"Fabray, deal with her!" Puck shouts before going into the back. You pout, watching him go, and do a double take when Quinn sits down on the stool next to you.

"Quinn!" you jump with wide eyes, looking around, "How did you get here?" you ask quietly, eyeing her suspiciously. "Ah!" you hold your hand up when she goes to answer and smile, "Parles-vous francais?"

"No." she sighs and you frown, slumping your shoulders. "What are you doing here, Britt? It's three in the afternoon."

"Hey, what's your name?" you ask with a tilt of your head. Quinn frowns and shakes her head, eyeing you in confusion. "Lemme talk to ya, lemma buy you a drank." You sing, dancing on the stool as Quinn rolls her eyes as you continue singing poorly.

"Brittany –"

"Ima buy you a drank, ooowie! Ima take you home with me!"

"Britt –"

"I got money in the bank, shawty what you think bout that? Find me in the grey Cadillac. We in the bed like oh–"

"Brittany, stop!"

You shrink at the volume of her voice and she sighs heavily, both of you looking to the right when Puck comes out from the back carrying a box of bottle and humming "Buy U a Drank". He stops and puts the box on the counter, his content smile faltering at Quinn's glare and your pleased smile.

"You just had to serve her. And tequila, out of _everything_! You know that shit makes her incredibly difficult to handle."

"Please, I'm right here, Quinnie." You click your tongue at her, turning on your stool to look around the bar.

"Hey, you and both know if I didn't serve her she would've gone to some other bar and we would have no idea what the hell happened. Plus she doesn't have her phone. Maybe you should be thanking me."

"Maybe you should get her some water."

"Uh, no water. I'll have a pina colada, please." You smile over your shoulder at Puck and he just shakes his head, handing you a glass of water. You frown and a second later there is a cherry, a straw, and little umbrella in your glass. "Thanks." You beam at him and get off the stool, walking to the DJ area.

You can hear Puck and Quinn arguing as you go, and step behind the table, opening the laptop. You try the password three times before the hint comes up and roll your eyes, typing in "Puckasaurus." You let out a victorious laugh and open the internet, and then YouTube, grinning around the straw as you search for some songs to play.

" _Baby girl, what's your name? Lemme talk to ya, lemme buy you a drank. I'm T-Pain, you know me. Konvict Music nappy boy oh wee. I know the club close at three. What's the chance of you rolling with me? Back to the crib, show you how I live. Let's get drunk and forget what we did_." You hold your glass up, dancing carefully so you don't trip over any wires, and step down from the stage, bopping your head along with the song as Quinn runs a hand through her hair in frustration, Puck nodding in approval of your choice.

"Ima buy you a drank, oh wee! Ima take you home with me!" you sing loudly, "I got money in the bank, shawty what you think about that? Find me in the grey Cadillac. We in the bed like, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh. We in the bed like oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh!"

"Even drunk, her taste in music is brilliant." Puck smiles at you and you coo him and pat his head, wiping the smile from his face. "Fix her." He tells Quinn before busying himself with getting ready to open.

"We in the bed like, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh. We in the bed like oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh!" Quinn takes the umbrella from your glass and you stop singing, frowning instead.

"Okay, enough singing. What the hell is going on?"

"Quinnie, I think you need to walk it out."

"What?"

You point to the ceiling and she looks up as you sing along with the music, "Let's get gone, walk it out, now walk it out, think about! Awwwwww, snap!" you snap on key and beam at Quinn as she stares at you completely unimpressed. "Come on, Q, rock, rock, rock, rock, you can do it all by yourself."

"May I?" she asks, holding her hand out for your water. You hand it over without an issue and close your eyes, spitting the water from your mouth before wiping your face. "Now can we actually have a normal conversation?" You swallow, grabbing the cloth on the counter, and dry your face and shirt, glancing at Puck watching with his jaw dropped.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you thought, and remember the next update will be Sunday.**

 **-B**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey, all, sorry for posting later today, but studying was a must with finals. Anyway, here's chapter 19. Mwah!**

 **-B**

* * *

 **March, 2021** :

You lift your knee to balance your purse so you can dig through it and find your phone, and lift your head, offering a smile to the students walking by and greeting you a good morning. You feel the cold metal and wrap your hand around it, pulling it from your purse while lowering your foot to the floor. The ringing was still going on, and when you see the name on the screen you know exactly why.

 **Quinn Fabray calling…**

You roll your eyes and pick up your bag holding your course work for your classes this semester. You were only teaching seniors and freshmen this time around, which you could not be more pleased about. You love the kids in this school but you're definitely looking forward to not having to be at the school for another hour; unlike last semester.

Holding both your purse and your carrying bag in one hand, you scroll through your emails on your phone with your other as you head towards your classroom.

You delete certain emails without opening them, and repeatedly glance up to ensure you don't walk into someone or something, like a wall, and turn the corner, heading three doors down to your class.

You lock your phone, dropping it back into your purse as you arch a brow at your classroom lights being already on, and step inside the room; dropping your shoulders in defeat when you see Quinn sitting in your chair, reading through your study plan.

"What are you doing here?" you ask, slightly agitated by her constant presence.

"Well, I'm sitting in your empty classroom." She states, leaning back in the chair while letting the binder fall closed. You hum and head over, placing your bag and purse on the floor behind your desk as usual before motioning for her to get up. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm obviously waiting for you."

"Obviously." You mumble, pulling your binders from your bag. You place them on your desk and flip the black one, labeled "seniors", open to the second unit before looking at the blonde history teacher, "What I meant was, _why_ are you waiting for me?"

"You're really asking me that?"

"Don't raise your eyebrows at me." You roll your eyes and punch in your staff password, opening your email and bringing up the power point for your upcoming class. "Seriously, Quinn, I don't need you breathing down my neck the second I walk into the building, no more than I need you constantly calling me only to ask the same question." It comes out colder than you expected but you don't bother apologizing, instead turning to face her with one hand on your hip, the other resting on your desk, "Which, by the way, will not have a different answer any time soon."

"Any time soon." She repeats skeptically.

You groan and run your hand through your hair, shaking your head at her, "Any time soon, ever, does it matter?"

"Yes, Brittany, it completely matters!" she exclaims and you pull your lips into your mouth, looking at her expectantly. She takes a breath and lean in faintly, lowering her voice, "You slept with one of your students." You clench your jaw and she continues, "Not only that, but you managed to piss her off afterwards and give her motive to report you and destroy not only your career, but your life! You could go to jail!"

You just stare at her as she breathes heavily, staring at you with frenzied eyes, and shrug faintly.

"God, Brittany…" she sighs and you shrug again.

"I know I screwed up, and I knew that before your _first_ lecture. It's not like I'm going to forget with how you constantly remind me every chance you get." You tell her, holding your arms out to your sides.

"Apparently you do need constant reminders, otherwise you go and pull stunts like this."

"What does that even mean?" you ask with furrowed brows, your arms crossed as Quinn points to herself.

"I told you to stay away from her. To not get involved. I told you to remember that she's your student and that she's dating your nephew." She hisses, "Obviously you just disregard everything that comes out of my mouth."

"That's ridiculous."

"How is that ridiculous!" She shrieks, "If you listened to me, none of this would have happened. And this isn't the only instance. If you had listened to me when I told you that she-devil was a terrible person and was only looking out for herself, you wouldn't have had your heart broken and–"

"Really? You're bringing her up again?" you ask her with a glare.

Quinn stops and closes her eyes for a moment, giving you an apologetic look before continuing, "My point is, that yes, I may go overboard with the warnings and the lectures, but I have reasons for doing so. And maybe if you listened to me once in a blue fricken moon, you wouldn't get yourself in these fucked up situations!"

You and Quinn hold each other's glares, challenging the other to back down first, when someone awkwardly clears their throat. The both of you look at the door in panic, and when Kurt and Mercedes look at you in question, you let out a nervous laugh and glance at Quinn; who forces a tight smile and excuses herself.

You bow your head, watching her go through your lashes, and smile faintly when Mercedes and Kurt flatten themselves against the wall to let Quinn leave the room. They hesitantly look at you and you clear your throat, straightening before wincing, "How much of that did you happen to hear?"

"Blue fricken moon." They say and you nod, tucking your hair behind your ear while motioning for them to take their seat just as the bell goes off.

* * *

It causes you to stop dead in your tracks when you see it.

Not only that, but you're pretty sure you're in the middle of having a heart attack, if the pain in your chest is a sign of anything.

You stare in complete and utter panic as Santana steps out of the counsellor's office with Mrs. Trottier stepping out with her. She ducks her head, speaking quietly with the teenager as Santana nods faintly, holding her binder tight against her chest. Trottier gives her a smile and squeezes her arm reassuringly before she glances over and nods in greeting.

You tense and Santana follows her gaze, gripping her binder tighter while nodding at whatever Trottier says before the counsellor returns to the confines of her office.

The only thing running through your head is why Santana was there and if, pray to god it wasn't, it was because of what happened with you. You watch as she walks towards you, her jaw clenched and eyes focused passed you, and glance around subtly for any other students around.

You know you shouldn't, and you remember what you told Quinn, but right now your nerves are getting the better of you and your judgement isn't the best.

As Santana walks by you, you groan inwardly at your weakness, and hurry after her, grabbing her arm before pulling her into the closest classroom which happened to be the choir room.

"What the hell?" Santana growls, pulling away from you. You check the hallway for someone who might have seen you, and close the door when you find the hall empty. "Hello, you can't just grab me and throw me into a class–"

"Why were you in the counsellor's office?" you interrupt her, holding your arms across your chest as you look between her eyes.

She narrows them faintly at you and holds her head high just like Quinn would do when you were co-captains of the squad. It's the signature "head bitch" look.

"Oh, don't give me that look. I'm immune to it." You tell her with shake of your head. She holds the look firm and after a few seconds you shift uncomfortably, glancing away, "Okay, can you just tell me?"

"No." she says simply, "It's called teacher-student confidentiality."

"No it's not." You frown.

"Yeah, it is." Santana argues, looking at you in confusion.

"Whatever, just–" you take a calming breath and uncross your arms, scratching your head, "Will you just tell me?"

"No, what's wrong with you." she says and you run your tongue along your teeth while looking up in exasperation, "When someone goes to talk to a counsellor, they usually have a reason for it, and that reason is obviously private. Hence why they go to the _counsellor_."

You roll your eyes and do a double take when she heads for the other door in the room, and quickly catch up to her, slipping in-between her and the door.

"Oh my god!" she groans, turning around to head the other way.

"Oh my god, is right." You say, reaching for her arm, "Would you stop walking away from me for just one second?" you growl quietly, accidentally knocking her binder from her arms. She groans in annoyance and sends you a sharp look. You bend down before she does, and snatch the binder from the floor, holding it behind your back as she looks at you incredulously.

"Give it back." She says, holding her hand out.

You scoff and take a step back when she moves to take it from you, "Not until you tell me what you were talking about."

"God, you're such a child! Give me my damn binder!"

"Tell me what you were talking about."

"No!"

"Then no binder for you." You shrug and turn when she reaches for it once again.

"Give me…" she growls, reaching around you with both arms, "the damn binder!"

"Tell me." You reply, lifting your arms up. Santana grabs your right arm and tries to pull it down while you fight against her, and jumps, reaching with her free hand for the binder. You snort at her attempt, and widen your eyes when she knocks the binder from your grasp to the ground. It lands behind you, making a surprisingly loud thump, and you stumble back, knocking it under the piano.

"Move."

You grunt when she pushes you out of the way and quickly recover, dropping to your knees to grab her ankles and pull her from under the piano as she tries crawling to the binder. "I don't think so…" You drag her along the floor and she turns onto her back, kicking her feet to get you to let go, while cursing you out through gritted teeth.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she hisses, getting one ankle free and kicks your hand.

"Ow!" you flinch and get on your hands and knees, crawling for the binder while holding Santana back. She slaps your hands away and you do the same, both desperately trying to the get binder when one of her slaps reaches your forehead. "Jesus, watch it!" you grumble, trying to grab her hands.

"Piss off."

"Piss off, oh, I'm so scared." You mock, grabbing one of her wrists. She yanks her hand away from you and turns onto her stomach, going for the binder again and you throw your leg over her back and hover over her.

Your fingers brush the binder as the two of you reach for it, Santana trying to knock you off of her back while you stay on and try to avoid hitting your head on the bottom of the piano.

"You're such a pyscho, get off of me!" she hisses, rolling onto her back with a grunt. "Ugh!"

"If you would just answer me–"

She scoffs and rolls her eyes, "Fuck you."

Your reaching for the binder ceases and you pull your head back with an arched brow, staring down at the teenager glaring at you, "Uh, fuck _you_."

"You already did." She says with a huff, her glare fading. Your hand drops to the floor, and you finally notice the position the two of you are in. You can see in her eyes that she just realized it as well.

"We have to talk about what happened." You say softly and she scoffs quietly, glancing up before returning her gaze to your eyes.

"No, we don't." She mumbles.

You frown at her tone, "Well, I want to." You tell her.

"Why? We already talked." She shrugs, lifting her head off the floor to adjust her ponytail. You pull your head back to put more space between your faces, and look between her eyes when she rolls them, resting her head back on the floor. "You made it perfectly clear how you feel about everything."

You let out a scoff and tilt your head at her, "You didn't let me explain what I meant."

"I'm pretty sure I gave you more chances than you deserved and you didn't explain anything without making it even more confusing."

"I'm not great in situations like that. What I say is never what I actually mean. I can't get it out properly." You frown, watching her as she moves her arm behind her head, shifting beneath you.

"Look, I don't even care, okay? I'm over it." She mumbles, and you roll your eyes as she avoids looking at you.

"If you were over it you wouldn't be afraid to actually look at me and say that."

She looks at you and clenches her jaw before unclenching it, shrugging, "I'm over it."

"No you're not." You smile faintly.

"I'm serious." She says, pushing on your shoulder, "I'm over it, I'm over you…I just want to move on and get out of this shitty school. And in order to do that, I need you to get off me."

You look between her eyes and pull your bottom lip into your mouth, nodding.

"Okay." You get out from under the piano and Santana grabs her binder, dusting off her uniform as you brush the dust from your jeans. You glance at her, watching her pick a fluff off of her skirt, and step closer to her, resting a hand on the piano as she tenses and glances up at you. "You're not over it." You say just above a whisper with a tilt of your head.

"Don't do that." she says firmly, avoiding your look.

"Do what?"

"Do that… _thing_!" she says loudly, looking at you, "You can't just… _hurt_ me like you did, a-and then smile and talk to me like you actually care about me, and tilt your fucking head at me like you're some innocent, confused puppy. It's not okay."

You frown and cross your arms, shaking your head, "I do care about you. You know I do. And I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm–"

"God, will you just stop!" she exclaims, making you flinch, "Just _stop_." she repeats while taking a slow step back. You wet your lips, swallowing, and Santana turns, going to the door. She pauses and looks back at you, shrugging, "I wasn't talking to her about us. I was talking to her about my university applications. So you can stop worrying."

Santana opens the door and jumps, glancing back at you before ducking her head and slipping passed Quinn as she stares at you with an arched brow. You watch Santana go and look at the piano, tapping your fingers against the top of it as Quinn walks over.

"Go ahead." You say, looking at her.

She just shakes her head and leans against the piano, motioning for you to explain.

* * *

 **A/N: Soooo some Quinn being Quinn, and some Brittana after their first time. Also with every chapter are you guys making note of the changes in months? This chapter would've taken place around two weeks since the previous. Let me know what you guys thought with this one :) and update will be Tuesday.**

 **-B**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Here's chapter 20! I think you'll like this one or I hope!**

 **-B**

* * *

 **March, 2021** :

You wet your lips as you look at how long you've been running, the little screen on the treadmill displaying "21:48" and do a double take when you see the blinking blue light on your phone.

"Seriously?" you huff and reduce your speed to the lowest before hitting the stop button and getting off. While turning the blaring music low, you grab your water bottle and squirt a stream of cold water in your mouth while picking up your phone. Your chest rises and falls as you take heavy breaths, unlocking your phone. You frown at the missed call notification and click on the square, waiting for it to open the phone app and show you the number.

You squirt another stream of water into your mouth and stare at the number, wondering whose it is. It looks familiar enough but you just can't connect it. You place it back on the small table and head back to the treadmill, looking back over your shoulder when your phone rings again. You pick it back up and see the same unknown number, sliding your thumb across the screen before bringing the device to your ear.

"Hello?"

" _Britt, hey, can you_ –"

You furrow your brows in confusion and pull your head back, looking at the number again before returning the phone to your ear, "Puck, did you get a new number and forget to let me know?"

" _What? No, I'm using the bar phone_." He says and you hum in understanding, " _Anyway, I have a little situation and I'm going to need you to come by, like, now_."

"Now?"

" _Yeah, now. See you in a few_."

"Wait, I–" the line goes dead and you groan in frustration, turning the music off completely before unplugging the treadmill.

* * *

You park your truck in the reserved spot right beside Puck's 90's mustang, and slide out, pulling your slightly damp hair into a messy ponytail as you head inside the bar.

It's not too crowded, which makes sense considering it's only six, but there are enough people to keep you from spotting Puck. He's not behind the bar when you look but head over anyways, putting your hand up to get the attention of one of the few employees.

"Hey, what can I get you?" he asks with a grin.

"I'm looking for Puck. He called me. It's important, I guess." You tell him and he nods, asking you to hold on for a second before he heads to the back office. You look around the place and politely decline the offer of a drink from a scruffy man not bothering to hide his wedding ring, and look to the side when the employee returns and tells you to head over. "Thanks."

He nods and gets back behind the bar as you head to the office.

You knock twice before opening the door and freeze, looking at Puck for an explanation.

He looks up from the garbage can, and shakes his head, "She had like five shots of the hard stuff before I saw her. She was using a fake." He says and the two of you look back at Santana as she lurches forwards and vomits into the garbage. Puck grimaces and continues to rub circles on her back as you walk over and crouch beside girl.

"Did you give her water?" you ask him, gathering some of her hair falling over her shoulder. "Here, hold her hair for a second."

Puck gathers her hair in his hands as you pull your ponytail from your hair, running a hand through your locks before pulling Santana's hair into a loose bun, keeping it from her face, "I tried but she wasn't having any of it. I even offered a ginger ale and sent Dylan out to get some of those saltine crackers from the store but she wouldn't have anything. She's been puking for like twenty minutes. I mean, how does she even have that much in her to puke up? She's tiny."

You nod, looking over her with concern before looking around the office.

"I can grab another water?" Puck offers quickly.

"Yeah." You nod and take the garbage can from him, putting it on the floor in front of Santana. "And can you get a damp cloth? Like a cold one."

Puck nods and hurries to get what you asked for while you rub her back gently.

"I might be an idiot, but this…" you say quietly, "Not a genius idea."

"No shit."

You chuckle at her weak reply, and wince, bringing the can up for her when she gags. You grimace, turning your head slightly as she continues filling the can, and look to the door when Puck returns.

"Thanks." You say, putting the can down and take the cloth and water. "Wanna do me a solid and empty the bucket?"

Puck scrunches his nose in disgust and you wince, mouthing an apology. He huffs and takes the bucket, holding his breath as he hurries back out of the room. You smile in amusement as he goes, and turn back to Santana, tapping her knee with your free hand.

"Lift your head."

She groans in protest and you tap her knee again, waiting for her to do as told. She shakes her head and you frown. "Santana, come on." She doesn't move. You sigh and fold the cloth, lifting it to her forehead. She whimpers and you pout. You continue to press the cold cloth to her forehead and cheeks, then move to her neck, shifting closer to wipe her mouth. She turns her head and you roll your eyes.

"Do you have to puke?" you ask when she swallows roughly. She nods and you curse under your breath, looking around for something else to hold in front of her when Puck returns. You snap and hold your hand out for the bucket, getting it in front of her just in time. She shivers as she holds the bucket, and you click your tongue. "We have to get you home." You say and she shakes her head.

"No. My parents will kill me."

"You should have considered that beforehand." You tell her, getting to your feet. You take one of the many jackets hanging on the hook in the office, and Puck arches a brow when you drape it over Santana's shoulders. "I'll get it back to you later."

"Alright." He nods, running his hand over his head as he holds his other on his hip. "Do you want me to carry her out?"

"Oh god…" she mumbles. You look at Puck and share an amused smile before you shake your head.

"I think we're good for now. Thanks for calling me."

Puck nods and pulls a card out of his pocket, handing it to you. You shake your head at the fake I.D. and spot a pair of scissors on his desk, snipping the card in half before handing the two halves to Santana.

You help her up and keep your hand on her lower back as you leave the office, leading her out of the bar with the bottle of water in your hand. You help her into the passenger seat, not seeing her car in the parking lot, and close the door behind her, quickly rounding the front before getting in behind the wheel.

"Please don't take me home." She whispers. You glance at her and find her looking at you with red eyes and her cheeks pale. "I'd rather you leave me on the side of the road."

"Well that's not happening."

"They're not home anyway. They won't be for another few hours, and I lost my key."

You eye her, looking for a sign that she's lying, and nod slowly, switching lanes before doing a U-turn at the next light, "Fine." Santana smiles faintly and rests her head against the head rest, letting her eyes close as you return your focus to the road.

You pull up to the house in a few minutes and turn the truck off, helping Santana out before walking her to the front door, and picking the right key. You step inside and toss your keys on your side table, closing the door behind the two of you, and take off your coat.

"This is what's going to happen," you begin, watching Santana wrap her arms around herself, "I'm going to start the shower while you take off your clothes because you smell like shit."

She frowns, looking at you and you take her arm, leading her to the main bathroom. You turn the light on and move to the shower, turning it on, and adjust the temperature before looking back. Your shoulders drop and Santana lets out a sigh, resting her forehead against the wall.

"Santana, seriously." You say and walk over. She hums and you run your hands over your face, shaking your head. "Okay, lift your arms up." You tell her while turning her around. She rests her head back, looking at you through hooded eyes, and weakly lifts her arms. You swallow and carefully lift her long sleeve over her head, taking in a silent, sharp breath.

You put the shirt on the counter and shift awkwardly as you motion to her jeans. Santana unbuttons and unzips her jeans, pulling them down to the middle of her thighs before bringing her hands to her forehead and clenching her jaw.

"Okay…" you mumble and bend down, pulling the jeans down to her ankle, and focus on getting her feet out while she holds onto your shoulders. "You can do the, uh…rest, right?"

"We had sex, Brittany, no need to be shy." She says and you shift. Santana shakes her head and reaches behind her back to undo her bra, and you look away, holding your hand out for the piece of clothing. She hands it over before doing the same with her underwear and stepping into the shower.

"You'll be okay if I quickly put these in the wash?"

"Mhmm."

"Okay." You say and glance at her quickly before hurrying out of the bathroom and to the laundry room. You toss her clothes in and turn it on speed wash before going back to the bathroom and sitting on the toilet lid as she showers, holding a towel, a pair of shorts, and a tank top.

She showers for about ten minutes before the water shuts off and you help her step over the side of the tub.

"Towel, and a change of clothes." You tell her, keeping your eyes on her face. She nods, taking them from you before you open the cupboards under the sink and pull out a new toothbrush. "You can use this and then chuck it or keep it, and then lay down in my room if you want. I'm going to grab you an Advil...oh, drink some of that water."

You walk to your kitchen and grab the Advil, along with an apple, and quickly cut it after washing and peeling it. You head to the bathroom, seeing the light off, and continue to your room, smiling faintly when Santana looks up from her lap while sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Here." You hand her the pill and she takes it, finishing the bottle of water before looking at the apples. "I thought you might want something in your tummy."

"My tummy?" she smiles slightly and you shrug, holding the plate out. "Thanks…" she mumbles, picking up a piece. You watch her take the smallest bite anyone has ever taken out of any kind of food, and shake your head with a chuckle.

"You don't have to force it down." You tell her, taking the plate back when she puts the piece down. You put it on the night table and pull back the corner of the comforter, nodding for her to get in. She rolls her eyes and crawls under the heavy blanket, letting out a sigh as her eyes flutter tiredly. "Get some sleep." You say gently, brushing her hair from her face. She blinks up at you and you pull your hand back, clearing your throat. "I'll check on you in a bit."

"Wait," she says quickly and you stop, looking back at her, "Can–um…can you stay?" she asks quietly.

You straighten and nod, offering a smile, and get in the other side of the bed, grabbing the remote to the smaller TV in the room. You turn it on, and mute it immediately, looking at Santana for approval. She rolls her eyes with a betraying smile. It falters after a minute before she hesitantly shuffles closer until she's resting her head in your lap.

"Thanks for…not taking me to my place." She mumbles.

You nod, slowly moving your hand to her head, and run your fingers through her hair slowly. She hums and you smile, "Get some rest, Santana."

* * *

"Britt?"

You pause from lifting your arm to change the channel on the TV at the voice, and quickly look at Santana still sleeping with her head in your lap. Your lips twitch into a smile as she furrows her brows slightly before the creases in her forehead disappear, and look back at your bedroom door, carefully slipping out of bed.

"Hmm?"

"I'll be right back." You whisper to the girl and she blinks tiredly at you before resting her head back on the bed. You slip out of your bedroom, quietly closing the door behind you, and look towards the foyer.

You walk down the hall, into the foyer, and run your hand through your hair, glancing around before your eyes land on Kieran sitting at your kitchen table.

" _What the fuck_!" you mumble under your breath, taking a subtle glance back towards your bedroom before heading over to join your nephew. You're actually quite surprised he came here seeing as how you haven't been over to his house that much since you found out what really happened at the New Year's party. You've gone over maybe four times, and only because Derek had invited you over to watch a game, and the other three he claimed he _missed his little sister_. You roll your eyes fondly at the idiot, and stop by the table, pulling out the chair at the head of the table. "What are you doing here?"

"What? I can't just stop by anymore?" he frowns, lifting his head.

Now it's your turn to frown, "Why are you crying?" you ask softly, your disappointment and anger fading just a bit as your protective, comforting side breaks through.

Kieran wipes his watery eyes and sniffs, clenching his jaw, "It's stupid."

"Ugh, Kieran, will you just tell me?" you sigh heavily, "You came to me for a reason. Tell me what's wrong."

He nods slowly, glancing to the ceiling as he wets his lips and shrugs, "She broke up with me."

"Santana?" you ask in shock, refraining from letting even the tiniest smile show. "I mean, why? When?" you correct at his pointed look.

"Like a couple hours ago. And over text." He mumbles, "I had my phone on silent while I was doing some reading for school, and when I turned the sound back on I saw she texted. It was the first text I've gotten from her since our fight. I mean, we haven't really talked since then either, besides when it's lunch, but everyone's there and it's not just us."

"Maybe that's why, then." You say and Kieran looks at you in disbelief.

"If that's the reason why, then she should have told me a long time ago. And it's not like I wasn't trying to apologize for whatever I did, and talk to her. She wouldn't listen. She was basically ignoring me and hanging out with Mercedes and Kurt all the time." He scoffs, leaning back in the chair with a scowl, "And when it wasn't those two, she'd be with that weird Asian girl, Tammy?"

"Tina." You say firmly, glaring faintly at him, "And she's a nice girl. The two of them became good friend while they were in my class."

He shakes his head and scratches at the table top, "How pathetic is it that you know that, but her boyfriend doesn't."

" _Ex_ -boyfriend." You remind him with clenched jaw, "And that's probably why."

"What, you're saying I was a bad boyfriend?" he asks with furrowed brows as you shrug, "You're taking _Santana's_ side?"

"I'm not taking any _side_ , Kieran. I'm not involved with this. But what I can tell you is that right now, you're coming off as a complete dick." You state and he pulls his head back, "And not just now. There have been other instances where I've thought the same thing. And Santana is a nice girl, and I can say that because of the time I've spent with her in school, and when she's been over to the house. So I guess, if the question was altered just a bit, my answer would be _if I were_ to pick a side, as they do in fricken _elementary_ school, then yes, I would probably, based on my observations, choose Santana."

He stares at you in disbelief and shock, opening and closing his mouth as he looks for something to say.

" _That_ should say something." You say.

He stares at you before nodding and getting up, pushing the chair in with a little extra force. You roll your eyes and then get to your feet, following him to the door, "So now you're throwing a tantrum, okay." You nod in acceptance and Kieran shoots you a look, "Where are you going?" you ask in aggravation, crossing your arms as Kieran pulls out his phone and keys.

"I thought I'd head to the library to start on this group project I have. I mean, my initial plan was to visit my aunt, who I hadn't seen much of lately, and get some advice, eventually forget that I just had my heart broken, because she _always_ knows how to cheer me up, but that's not going to work out after all."

You nod, scoffing with a faint amused grin as you look at him, "Good luck with your project." You say before waving for him to go, and watch him do so, sighing when the door slams closed.

* * *

You shut the bedroom door behind you, quietly, before hearing a shuffle of blankets, and look up, offering a faint smile.

"Kieran?" she asks and you nod while walking over to sit on the edge of the bed. She watches you as you let out a sigh, and picks at the blanket.

"You broke up with him?"

"Yeah." she nods, searching your eyes for something.

"And over text?" you ask with a twitch of your lips.

She winces and tilts her head to the side, glancing back at you, "Not my finest moment, I'll admit."

"That's not too bad." You chuckle, watching her smooth out the wrinkles in the comforter, "When I was in my last year, I broke up with someone over text too. But I was standing directly in front of him when I did it."

"What?" she laughs, smiling widely in amusement.

You nod and roll your eyes, "He was, like, chastising me about how I demanded every song in Glee Club in front of everyone, while adding a few colourful observations about them, though I admit, probably not the proper way to do so, and I just wasn't in the mood for it so I texted him 'we were through' with a smiley face. He looked so unimpressed and was like 'did you seriously just break up with me, via text?'." You say, imitating the strawberry blond boy. Man was his nose way too large for his face.

"Oh my god." She laughs, shaking her head at you. You shrug with a grin. "Did anyone record that? I would pay big bucks to watch it."

"I'm sure you would." You laugh. Your laughter dies down after a while and you just smile at each other. She lifts her shoulders, tilting her head slightly with a soft smile, and you feel your cheeks warm up.

"I'm not over it." You lift your gaze from the comforter and nod slowly as she rolls her eyes at herself, "I mean, I'm over what happened, like, the fight…but I'm not over _you_."

"Good."

"Good?" she asks with a growing smile. You nod, chuckling at her excitement, and watch her with a smile as she leans forwards, running a hand up your arm to your neck. "So…" she trails off, tilting her head, silently asking her question.

You snort and your smile grows. Just before she kisses you, you pull back and scrunch your nose, "Damn, girl, your breath." Santana drops her jaw and pulls away and you just laugh and pull her back to you, "I'm just kidding." You whisper before pressing your lips together.

* * *

 **:) yay!**

 **Next update: Thursday**

 **-B**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Sorry for such a late update, the website wasn't being cooperative with me all day -_- but I finally got it up! And just in time for Christmas, although I'm kind of doubting you'll all be reading it today, I'm guessing you'll be pretty busy with your families as will I.**

 **This next bit is important. I'll be taking 2 weeks off posting for this story; so January 7th will be the next update. Just have to catch up on school readings and that nonsense ;) But when we get back there will be some more interesting chapters coming your way. Merry Christmas everyone, and have a happy New Year. Mwah!**

 **-B xoxo**

* * *

 **April, 2021** :

"Okay, awesome!" you beam, flipping the last page of the test answer booklet closed. "You all did really well on this test. I think the class average even topped last semester." You give the class a wink and put the booklet behind you on your desk before looking at the clock, "And we only have a few minutes before the bell and it's not like we're going to get anything done by then so I'm going to let you go."

"Thank Jesus." Mercedes says, Kurt rolling his eyes with a smile beside her as you narrow your eyes playfully.

"Mhm, get outta here." You chuckle and push away from your desk. You round it to your chair and minimize your email on your desktop, looking back at the students as they leave the room, and smile gently. You glance up when the bell goes off, and grab your phone, tucking it into the back pocket of your jeans and grab your knit cardigan off the back of your chair on your way out of your class.

You step out of your class, pulling your cardigan over your simple dark tank top, and pull the end of your ponytail out from under it, running your hand lightly over your hair to deal with any strays as you continue down the hall.

"Are you crazy!"

You lift your brows in surprise and turn around, walking towards the sound of laughing and lockers slamming, stopping in your tracks when you turn the corner. Your lips part in shock as you watch Santana and one of her Cheerios fighting in the middle of the hallway.

You watch as Santana shoves the girl back against the locker before the red head launches herself forward, grabbing a fist full of Santana's hair, pulling her backwards.

Your feet start to carry you over before you realize it, and you look passed the two teenagers fighting, seeing a group of jocks watching in amusement, laughing and pointing at what's going down. You see Kieran standing with his arms crossed, a huge grin on his face when Santana is pushed against the lockers once again, and clench your jaw.

"Okay, that's enough!" you shout, pushing your way through the formed crowd to get in the middle of the scene. "I said that's _enough_." you hiss, separating the two girls as they continue to try and go at each other. "What the hell is going on?"

"This pyscho bitch just attacked me." The red head scoffs, fixing her ponytail before crossing her arms and looking at you.

You narrow your eyes at her and then look at Santana avoiding your gaze, looking at the floor.

There is no way she started this.

You look back at the red head and nod to her things on the floor, "Pick up your things and go to the office."

"What? I didn't even do anything!"

"Really? Because I'm quite sure I just saw you fighting with another student." You say easily as the girl throws her hand out to Santana.

"She started it! So what she just gets off free?"

"I will deal with her as well."

"That's a total display of favoritism." She continues as if she hadn't just heard what you said.

You roll your eyes and stare her down, "Go." You tell her and wave her off. You and everyone else watch her gather her things, mumbling under her breath about you being a bitch before she heads to the office. You watch her go and slowly turn to Santana, arching a brow at her when she finally looks at you. "May I have a word with you, Miss Lopez?" you ask, glancing at the students still lingering behind with watchful eyes. "The rest of you can clear the hallways!"

They jump and all hurry to leave and you see one of the jocks, hit Kieran's arm, nodding for him to follow.

You eye your nephew before putting your hand lightly on Santana's back, leading her a few steps away.

"Do you mind explaining to me what the hell just happened?" you ask quietly, crossing your arms as you duck your head to catch her gaze.

"It was nothing. Just that bitch Audrey running her mouth." She shakes her head and you hum, glancing around the hall. You find Kieran and his friends still hanging around in the hallway, talking amongst themselves.

"Well she must've said something to make you _attack_ _her_ _first_?" you look at her pointedly and she rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "Santana, just talk to me." You say quietly, reaching out to touch her arm before pulling your hand back.

She looks at your through her lashes and glances around while shifting, "She was talking about things she didn't know about."

"Like?" you push gently.

"Like why I dumped Kieran and how he's the hottest guy in school and I must be totally gay because that's the only logical explanation." She scowls, looking at the floor, "And how it probably has something to do with my _creepy_ _obsession_ with a certain Biology teacher." She glances up at you and you wince, nodding.

"I'm sorry, I –"

"Britt–ah, Ms. Pierce," she shakes her head, "it's not your fault. At all." She says and you frown faintly, checking over her before picking off some dirt from her shoulder. "It's that ass and his group of followers." She mumbles with an eye roll, smiling faintly as you brush off her shoulder.

Your hand stills as you run over her words, and you tilt your head with your brows furrowed, "That ass? Wait…Kieran?" you ask quietly, looking over to the group of jocks remaining at the lockers, Kieran nodding and grinning at whatever one of them is saying.

"He's just being a dick. I mean, I can't really blame him, I did pull a bitch move dumping him over text–"

"No, Santana." You cut her off firmly, "You aren't going to blame yourself for this. I don't care if you had 'we're over' written in the clouds after he fumbled the ball at the championships and it was broadcasting live throughout the nation. He doesn't get to be an ass because he's embarrassed or hurt." You say through gritted teeth, looking back at him as the group starts heading to the cafeteria.

You turn to head after them and pause, turning back to face Santana with a wince, "I need you to go to the office and just tell Donna I told you to sit there until I come to get you. I can't have anyone thinking you really do get special treatment."

"You could always tell them Coach Sue threatened to tie your tubes if you sent one of her captains to the office." She smiles sweetly. You stare at her with your mouth open and she chuckles, shrugging, "Just something to think about."

"Just…go wait for me."

"Always." She smiles and turns as you smile to yourself, glancing around the hallway.

* * *

You slip pass some students standing directly in front of the entrance way of the café, and pull your cardigan closer to your body. The place was filled. You don't remember the last time you actually came in here but you can definitely tell there are way more students now than there were when you were in your senior year.

You crane your neck, searching for that table, the popular table, and frown when you find it near the back rather than closer to the food like when you attended here.

So much has changed, it's ridiculous.

You spot Kieran sitting on the edge of the table, his feet on the bench as he steals some fries from a girl's plate. She giggles and he grins slyly, nodding his head at her. It makes you want to vomit but you settle for an eye roll.

This was not the same Kieran. And you don't know what the hell happened. I can't just be Santana breaking things off.

You clench your jaw as her reasons for breaking it off run through your head, minus the whole being gay and having feelings for you part. But the Kieran being a total dick part. You could slap him.

You watch with your arms crossed as Kieran pulls out his cell, leaning over to show some of the jocks something. The way they laugh, and the way the Cheerio's sitting around the table with them, glance at each other uncomfortably, instantly tells you it's relating their captain.

You never really understood the whole "seeing red" thing until now. You swear the edge of your vision tints red just a bit as you storm through the crowded café, over to the table of jocks and cheerleaders. You can see the slight relief on some of the girls faces as they watch you come up behind Kieran, most of the jocks faces paling as they quickly glance between you and Kieran snickering at his phone.

The second you reach him, you snatch his phone from his hands and tuck it in your back pocket, crossing your arms tightly over your chest.

"What the hell!" Kieran exclaims, looking at you. His eyes widen slightly at seeing it's you before they narrow, "Give me my phone."

"Like hell I will." You counter immediately, taking a step to the side, "Get up, I want to have a little conversation with you."

He furrows his brows with a small frown of confusion and shakes his head, "No, give me my phone."

"Kieran –"

"No, screw you." You lift your brows in disbelief and pull your head back, glancing around the table at the incredulous looks they're giving Kieran. "And whatever, don't give it to me I'll call dad and –"

"If you call him I'm still going to make him come down here to retrieve it and then I'll explain to him why I took it in the first place. And if any of you let him use your phone I'll confiscate it too." You say quickly and one of the boys you've seen Kieran hang out with in the halls, pulls his phone back, tucking it in his pocket. You offer a smile and everyone shrinks, nodding in understanding.

"What's wrong with you?" Kieran laughs, looking at you and you arch a brow.

"What's wrong with _you_?" he's grin falters. "Now get up."

"No, I told you I'm not –"

"Get up or so help me _god_ , Kieran, I will drag your ass out of this cafeteria by your teeth!" you hiss. He swallows nervously and you grab his arm, yanking him in front of you before pushing his shoulder to make him continue walking. " _Go_."

* * *

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" you hiss, shoving him into your classroom before you close the door.

He catches himself and looks back at you, fixing his letterman jacket while moving to one of the tables, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really?" you ask with narrowed eyes, "You know nothing about what happened between Santana and Audrey? Nothing about what was being said? You had no part in it whatsoever?" you ask, your volume rising with every question.

"Why do you even care?" he asks with a scoff.

"I care because Santana is an amazing girl and my _nephew_ , who I praised constantly and bragged about to everyone, is turning into a fucking dickhead and bullying his ex because she broke things off!"

"We're just messing around. It's no big deal. I'm over Santana, whatever."

"No, this is a big deal. And this has been going on much longer than you're letting on." You scowl, "I know about what happened at that party. That after she told you she didn't want to sleep with you, you started acting like an asshole and got everyone else to join in with you. Does that ring a bell?" you hiss as Kieran gawks at you in surprise.

"When did – how did –"

"I'm a teacher, I hear things." You say quickly, "Apparently, Santana has more friends than both you and her know about."

"We were all drunk."

"That's no excuse for trying to humiliate and hurt her!"

"She did the same to me! When someone's girlfriend doesn't want to sleep with them everyone finds out and their life turns to shit!"

You shake your head incredulously and put your hands on your hips, "Are you serious right now? You're comparing friends poking fun at you to the entire team ganging up on Santana? Making accusatory jokes about her sexuality? Trying to force her to kiss another cheerleader? Are you fucking _serious_? Do you know how disgusted I am with you right now?"

He puts his hands in his pockets, clenching and unclenching his jaw as he glances around, having the decency to look ashamed of himself as you stare at him.

"Maybe your suspicions of Santana's reasoning are true. Maybe they're not. Maybe it's something different entirely. Maybe it's how you treated her. But let me say this." You pause, and look him in the eye, "Whatever her reasons are, you better damn well respect them and fucking respect _her_. If you ever loved her, you'll be civil and kind. You don't be a jackass to someone you loved. Especially to someone who has only ever been kind to you. I don't care if you're hurting or mad, you don't do it. That is _not_ how you were raised. Do you understand me?"

He clenches his jaw, lifting his head to show you his bloodshot, watery eyes, and nods slowly.

"Good." You wet your lips and cross your arms once again, taking a breath, "Go finish your lunch." You tell him and he nods, keeping his gaze from you as he goes.

You pull his phone from your pocket and turn it off, tossing it in your purse, and sink into your chair. You let your head fall back and your eyes close when your phone buzzes. You jump and grab the device, cursing under your breath as you get up and leave your room.

* * *

"Hey, sorry about the wait." You say quietly after walking into the office. Donna looks at you and smiles faintly, nodding before going back to her computer. You lower your arched brow and look at Santana and Audrey sitting on the waiting couch, opposite ends of it, and clear our throat. "Have the two of you calmed down?" you ask and Santana glances at Audrey as the redhead nods quickly, wiping her cheeks.

You look between the two of them and nod your head, stepping to the side, "No more fighting." You say, watching Audrey jump up from the couch and grab her things while Santana moves much slower. "You're on the squad together. You should have each other's backs, not fight over some ridiculous gossip, or because of a guy." You say, giving Audrey a pointed look.

She nods quickly and swallows, looking back at Santana, "I'm sorry, Santana. Really. I just –"

"You're a freshman trying to make a name for herself, I get it." She waves her off and Audrey nods, smiling, "You're still doing an extra lap at practice." Audrey's smile falters faintly before she nods and hurries out of the office.

You look at Santana as she walks passed you wearing a smirk, and shrugs, "Still have an image to keep."

"Right." You chuckle, following her out of the office.

"So where'd you go after sending me off?"

You smile awkwardly and cross your arms, shrugging, "I had a little talk with Kieran…after embarrassing him in front of the café." Santana puts her hand out and turns to look at you with her jaw dropped, "It wasn't intentional. He was being difficult."

"Uh…just –" she glances around the hallway before grabbing your arm and pulling your into the janitors closet.

"What are –" you begin before you're pulled into a long kiss, your back slammed into the metal shelves cramping the place. You gasp and Santana shoves her tongue into your mouth, pulling you closer. "San–I can't–" you rush out, moaning when she presses against you, "We'll get caught…" you get out.

She hums and slows the kiss, pecking you twice on the lips before stepping back, letting you catch your breath. You swallow, and carefully wipe the corner of your mouth for smudged lip stick. "Well, that was…something." You breathe out with a smile.

Santana smirks and gives you a wink before slipping out of the closet.

* * *

 **A/N: January 7th isn't that far away :)**

 **-B**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: And we're back, hope everyone had a lovely holiday! Sorry for the wait, but here's chapter 22.**

 **-B**

* * *

 **April, 2021** :

You rest your elbow on the edge of your desk, hand tangled in your hair as you watch the cursor move to the top right of the screen. You click and exit the window, letting out a relieved sigh at finishing updating your class grades.

"Ms. Pierce?"

"Hmm?" you hum in question, opening your calendar to see what you have marked down for Monday's classes. You open the correct day and glance towards the door when you hear it softly close, and the lock click into place. "Because locking the door isn't suspicious."

"Would you prefer I leave it unlocked for anyone and everyone to walk in?"

"There she is; confident Santana." You grin, sitting up in your chair as the teenager walks over with a growing smile. "What can I do for you?"

Santana snorts and places her bag on the floor while leaning against the desk, looking at you.

You hold her stare, your grin growing, and let out a chuckle when she lifts her brows, "Seriously, Santana, what do you want?"

"I have a question."

"About biology?" you ask with a frown, "You do remember you already passed this course, right?"

"With flying colors, I know." She nods making you snort. "No, it's not about biology."

You eye her for a moment before nodding and leaning forwards, continuing checking your schedule for Monday.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight."

You do a quick double take at the girl, your eyes widened and jaw dropped in disbelief, and Santana watches you in amusement. You search for something to say and after a while you just let out a nervous laugh, "I'm sorry, what?"

Santana rolls her eyes fondly and leans forwards, gripping the arm of your chair before rolling you until you're directly in front of her. "I want you to come over tonight." She repeats quietly, looking between your eyes while your faces are inches apart.

"I can't." you tell her with furrowed brows and she tilts her head with a pointed look, "I'm a teacher. I can't go to your house."

"Actually, you can."

"Santana –"

"Brittany." She counters quickly, smiling faintly as your gaze drops to her lips. "Look, I'll tell my parents you're helping me with my English essay and going over my university applications. They won't think anything different."

You shake your head and look back up to her eyes, "I can't go to a student's house."

"Britt, it's just like you're tutoring me." She says and you arch a brow, "And it could be, like, a parent-teacher meeting or whatever. Well, to them. But in reality it will be me bringing my girlfriend to meet the family."

Your lips twitch upwards when she says it and you let out a little chuckle as you watch her look over you slowly, "Girlfriend?"

She does a double take and nods firmly with a smile.

"I can't just show up out of nowhere and intrude on your –"

"I already let my mom know you were coming by to help me out. She's the one who suggested we make it dinner." She cuts you off, leaving you with your mouth open mid-sentence. She giggles and gives you a quick kiss to the lips and another to the corner of your mouth before pulling back altogether. "Come by for five thirty. Dinner is at six. And these…" she draws out while digging through her bag as you blink and look around, still a little confused as to what just happened. "These are golden conversation topics. Green is for my dad, pink is my mom, and the yellow is for Catarina and Romero." She tells you, handing you a stack of recipe cards held together with a rubber band.

You look from the cards to Santana, opening and closing your mouth as you look for something to say, and let out a defeated sigh before she quickly pecks your lips. "Remember, five thirty. Oh, and if you really want to get on my mom's good side, compliment the new flooring. She spent like weeks deciding which flooring looked best and apparently she doesn't think it looks that great." She rolls her eyes with a smile and you nod dumbly, making that smile grow before she turns and leaves the room.

* * *

" _You're going to her place? Isn't that like a terrible idea_?"

You close the door to your truck and look over yourself, fixing the collar of your jacket, "Uh, yeah. Santana supposedly has it all planned out so it's like I'm meeting with her parents to talk about how she was doing in my class, and that I'm here to help with her university applications."

" _Sounds pretty genius_." Puck laughs.

"Yeah, well, Santana's pretty genius." You mumble and wince when you hear a loud crash from the other end of the phone. "What was that?"

" _God damn it, Noel_!" Puck shouts, " _Fucking new guy just knocked over some bottles on the counter. I gotta go. Don't get caught, Pierce._ "

You hum a goodbye and hang up the phone, tucking it into your back pocket while you step onto the front porch step. You take a calming breath, your nerves getting the best of you, and glance around unsurely before forcing yourself to knock on the door.

 _This was such a bad idea_ , you tell yourself and look back at your truck, weighing the pros and cons of getting in and speeding off. You shift your weight and stick one hand in the pocket of your jacket, running your other through your hair when the door opens widely.

You hold your bottom lip in your mouth and lift your brows, offering a tight lipped, nervous smile to the tall Latino standing on the other side of the door wearing a polite smile. You quickly glance over him in his pressed slacks and buttoned up blue shirt. His hair is jet black with a bit of a wave, and his eyes are just like Santana's. He also has those dimples Santana does.

"Miss Pierce?" he asks and you nod, clearing your throat as he holds his hand out, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Emilio. Santana's father."

"Uh, nice to meet you too. You can call me Brittany."

"Brittany." He smiles and steps back, holding his arm out to let you in. You smile nervously and step inside the house, glancing around for any sign of Santana. "Santana's in the kitchen with her mother." He chuckles, "Which is a miracle in itself. That girl never offers to help with dinner."

You let out an awkward laugh and widen your eyes when he claps you on the shoulder.

"Come on." He grins and leads you further into the house.

You follow behind him, looking around, and see Catarina sitting in the living room, watching TV with a younger boy sitting on the opposite side of the couch. Catarina glances over and smiles faintly, getting the boy's attention. He turns around and offers a tight lipped smile before quickly returning his gaze to the TV. You chuckle quietly and almost bump into a still Emilio.

"Sorry." You say quietly and he waves it off with a grin, leaning against the wall.

"Santana, your guest is here." Emilio calls and you lift your head quickly and look passed him into the kitchen to see Santana standing beside a short woman with a reddish tint to her hair.

Your lips part involuntarily as you run your eyes over the teenager.

She looks up, smiling widely at you as you look over her tight black tank top, black leggings, and red plaid shirt wrapped around her waist. You inwardly roll your eyes fondly at the girl's choice of clothing, and lift your gaze to catch her tuck a strand of hair from her ponytail behind her ear.

"You must be Miss Pierce." The older Latina smiles, walking over, "I'm Maribel. The mother." She chuckles, wiping her hands on the kitchen's hand towel while rounding the kitchen island. You take your hands out of your jacket pocket and shake her hand when she reaches out for you, smiling.

"Brittany's fine." You smile faintly and Maribel nods. You glance over to Santana, glancing to the floor, and lift your brows, "Oh, uh, I love your flooring. It's beautiful." You tell her and watch as her smile grows into a beaming grin.

"Really? I spent weeks trying to figure what I liked best. I've been second guessing colour though…"

"Well we're not paying to replace it again." Emilio mumbles and Maribel clicks her tongue at him before looking back at you.

"Apparently I made the right choice with this color." She smiles and looks back at Santana, "Aren't you going to say hello? You're just standing there." She scolds lightly, moving back over to cut vegetables on the counter.

"Hi, Miss Pierce."

"We're not in school, Santana. You can call me Brittany." You smirk faintly as her eyes narrow into a playful glare.

"Okay."

"Manners, Mija." You smile in amusement and Emilio chuckles, patting your shoulder before heading to the living room while Santana glares harmlessly at her mother.

"I'm not a child." She mumbles.

"Of course not." Maribel shakes her head. "Why don't you show Brittany to the office?"

"Yeah, sure." Santana says and finished putting the foil over a pan before putting it in the oven and setting the timer. You hold back your smirk as you watch her hurry over, and take a step back for her to walk by. "I already brought everything down." She tells you and you nod, giving Maribel another smile before following Santana down a hall and into her parents office.

"This is their office?" you gawk at the large room, two solid oak desks placed near each other with a ceiling high bookcase behind them, taking up the entire wall, and a large brown leather sofa against the opposite wall.

"Yup."

"Yup?" you repeat with a laugh, looking at her.

She grins and nods, "Yup," before glancing towards the door. You arch a brow and she looks back at you, throwing her arms around your neck, pulling you into a passionate kiss. You smile into the kiss and wrap your arms tightly around her waist, tilting your head to the side to deepen the kiss.

"Mmm" you moan softly, pulling back, "You look nice. And very gay."

Santana lets out a laugh and runs her hands down your arms, looking down at her shirt around her waist, "Was the plaid too much? If I came down with just the tank top, Ma, would've bitched about how revealing it is." She says with an eye roll and you grin.

"I like it." You tell her with a twinkle in your eye. She snorts and hooks her fingers in the belt loop of your jeans, pulling you closer.

"That's what I was going for."

"Really?"

"Mhm." She grins, bringing one of her hands up to hold the back of your neck while pulling you down.

You sigh contently into the kiss and move your hands to her hips, running them up her sides, and smile when she gasps, your fingers brushing her skin as her shirt rides up. You run your hands back down her sides, moving to her lower back, and rest them on her backside, nipping her bottom lip.

She lets out a groan and tightens her hold on your belt loops.

"Okay…" you whisper, breaking the kiss while stepping back from her, "We should get back out there." You tell her, smiling when she flutters her eyes open to reveal how much darker they've gotten.

"This was a bad idea."

"How so?" you ask with a tilt of your head, watching as Santana fixes her shirt.

"All I'm going to be able to think about this entire night, is having you –"

"Don't say it!" you cut her off quickly. Santana arches a brow while wetting her lips, and you shake your head, "I won't be able to get through the night if you say it."

Santana nods slowly and bites her lip, grinning at you, "Okay. Let's go then." You nod and hesitate before following her out of the office.

* * *

"See!" Santana smiles, looking away from you to her parents, "I told you. I might as well be given a degree tomorrow."

You chuckle and shake your head, glancing around the table as Emilio and Maribel smile proudly at their oldest, Catarina and Romero exchanging looks with each other.

"Give it up, Santana." Catarina rolls her eyes, "Brittany probably gave you an A because you're annoying."

You stifle a laugh, reaching for your glass as you look at Santana sitting to your left, glaring at her sister. You glance between them in amusement as Santana and Catarina start bickering in hushed voices, and shake your head with a smile as before you take a sip of your drink, "Believe it or not, Santana was my best student." You cut in and the two quiet down, both of them looking at you with different expressions.

"Best student, is that right?" Emilio grins, drawing your attention away from his daughter, "So Santana will be getting a smashing recommendation letter from you, then?" his grin grows and Maribel clicks her tongue at him from across the table. Emilio chuckles and shrugs, grabbing his wine, and you nod slowly.

"If Santana would like me to write her a letter of recommendation, I'd be glad to do so."

"You hear that, Mija?"

"Emilio, you're embarrassing the girl." Maribel scolds as you glance at Santana, her cheeks tinted pink as she lifts a forkful of desert to her mouth. "Okay, now that everyone's done…" she trails off, giving Santana's now empty plate a glance, "We'll let the two of you get to work." She smiles at you and you nod, getting up with everyone else. "Mija, help me clear the table, gracias." She says, nudging Catharina's shoulder.

The younger Lopez daughter sighs dramatically before helping gather the dishes as Emilio watches Romero retreat upstairs.

"Can I get you another glass of wine, Brittany?" Maribel calls, lifting the bottle of white.

"I shouldn't, thank you though." You tell her and she nods, joining Catarina in cleaning.

Santana offers a small smile and leads you out of the kitchen, Emilio patting your shoulder gently as you go, and quietly closes the door behind you.

"Sorry." She winces when you smile at her, "They're pretty –"

"Great?" you cut her off and she relaxes, shrugging. You chuckle and sit down on the couch, flipping open Santana's binder to her English section. "Write a fifteen hundred word persuasive essay about a topic of your own choice in MLA format. Make sure your bibliography, consisting of no less than three sources, is ordered alphabetically. Check for errors of all types, which includes grammar, punctuation, blah blah blah. Make sure your citations are correct and included properly." You read out quietly, looking at Santana once she sinks down onto the couch next to you. "Sounds fun."

"Sounds like hell." She corrects and you smile.

"What's your topic?"

"I haven't totally settled on one, but I was thinking of discrimination when it comes to sexuality." She mumbles, brushing her fingers over her bottom lip as she glances at you for your thoughts on her topic choice.

You nod slowly, and flip to a blank loose leaf page, removing and handing it to the teenager, "You're going to need a title, introduction, three bodies, and a conclusion. Think of the title last." You tell her, watching her organize her draft page. "And you know how to insert citations?"

"Yeah, no."

You snort a laugh and take her pen from her, shifting closer while turning the paper on her lap to write on it, "It depends on the citation. Let's say you're quoting from a piece of work. You're going to include the author, year of publication, and then the page number the bit can be found on."

"Okay?" she frowns in confusion. You glance up at her and kiss her cheek quickly, smiling when she glances at you shyly.

"Okay, an example would be, like…okay, I find you, Santana, extremely adorable and I'm very much attracted to you." You tell her and she arches a brow with a growing smile. "So to cite that you would write…According to Pierce, two thousand and twenty one, Santana is extremely adorable and she is very much attracted to her, page…one I guess." You say, writing it out on the paper properly before looking at the girl. "Make sense?"

"Okay, so can I put the year anywhere or…"

"You would put the publication year in parenthesis right after you introduce the author. The page number goes at the end of the quoted bit, before the ending punctuation.

"So…okay." She says, taking the pen from you, making sure to brush her fingers along yours. You roll your eyes with a smile and nod for her to go on. "As stated by Lopez, two thousand and twenty one, she has never felt this way before and _totally_ wants to get her mack on with Pierce, page one."

You let out a laugh while nodding, and Santana smiles widely, watching you as you hold your hand in front of your mouth to muffle your laughter.

"Is that right?" she asks while putting the paper on the small table, her eyes running over you as your laughing subsides.

"Seems that way." You grin, following her with your eyes as she hums with a beaming smile, swinging her leg over your lap to straddle you. "Santana!" you squeak with wide eyes, shivering as she brushes her fingers along your collarbone and neck.

"Relax, my parents won't interrupt because they think we're busy with my schooling, and they'd freak on Cat and Romero if either of them distracted us." She whispers, pressing her body against yours as you take in a sharp breath.

Santana smirks down at you, cupping your cheeks gently, and you groan, wrapping your arms around her waist before tackling her onto the couch as she lets out a giddy laugh.

* * *

 **A/N: D'aww lol, okay so let me know what you thought. Next update will be Sunday!**

 **-B**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I know I know, and I'm sorry! But here is chapter. 23**

 **-B**

* * *

 **April, 2021:**

You come to a halt before you pass the entrance to the café and arch a questioning brow.

Walking inside, you're surrounded by the loud noise of teenagers having lunch, and put your hands in your back pockets as you make your way to the two woman standing by the food line, observing the behaviour of the students.

"I truly believe their mannerisms get worse every year." Rachel whispers to Quinn and the blonde nods in agreement as you come up behind them.

"What are you doing?" you whisper and the two jump, Rachel cursing as Quinn holds a hand over her heart, both looking at you like you're crazy. You smile in amusement and lift your brows expectantly, standing between the two as you all turn your attention to a table of students, freshmen no doubt, watching in terror as a jock walks by them with a slushie.

"We were discussing how every year the new students seem to look years younger than the year before them. I mean, if I didn't know better, I would think that those students were twelve." Rachel tells you, nodding towards the table closest to you.

Quinn nods and you hum quietly, glancing at your colleagues before you search out a particular brunette.

Your eyes land on her sitting at one of the many jock/cheerio tables, only her back is to the popular's while she faces Mercedes, Tina, and Kurt sitting at the table close to her; a boy in a wheelchair, and one with over gelled hair and a bowtie sitting with them. Bowtie smiles as the rest of them let out a laugh, Santana shooting warning looks to those at her table that turn to comment.

She says something to one of the jocks with her eyes narrowed, and he tenses before getting up and hurrying out of the café. Santana rolls her eyes and turns to give her attention to her friends, catching your gaze as she does so.

You watch her straighten and smile and pull your bottom lip into your mouth to keep from returning the gesture too much while arching a brow and subtly nodding your head towards the exit; wordlessly asking what happened with the jock.

Santana smirks secretively and you roll your eyes fondly, nodding for her to answer Mercedes who keeps trying to get her attention.

You return your attention to Rachel and Quinn having a conversation around you, and grimace as Rachel gushes about Finn, the two having "rekindled their love" after you, Quinn, and Puck completely forgot about movie night last week.

Quinn makes a snide comment about how the vegan spaghetti dish Finn made her most likely had meat in it, and you watch Rachel's love struck expression falter before she storms out of the room to find Finn.

"You couldn't have just let her believe Finn actually remembered she doesn't eat meat?" you ask with a faint grin.

Quinn looks at you with a smirk and shrugs, "That wouldn't be any fun."

"This is true." You agree before your attention is pulled away by Santana rising from her table.

"So, the two of you don't seem to be awkward around each other at all."

"Hmm?" your eyes follow Santana as she carries her tray of food to the garbage a few feet from you, and lower to her backside. She opted to not wear her uniform today, instead arriving in amazingly tight leggings, and a navy blue plaid shirt, just reaching her ass. You watch her run her hand through her straightened hair, and pout when Quinn nudges you a little too hard. "What?" you frown, rubbing your arm.

Quinn gives you an incredulous look and you lift your shoulders, "You two slept together. _Again_." She whispers accusingly and you pull your head back with a shake of your head.

"No we didn't."

"Brittany, cut the shit. The last time I saw the two of you in the same room, Santana looked completely distraught, and you were on the verge of crying."

"I was not on the verge of crying." You roll your eyes.

"Also, I didn't miss the way you two were having an intense case of eye-sex, not five minutes ago. I'm not blind." She states as you blush.

"We're not sleeping together." You mumble and do your best to refrain from smiling too big when Santana and her friends stop in front of the two of you.

"Ms. Pierce." She smiles before looking at Quinn, "Ms. Fabray."

Quinn smiles politely glancing at you with a knowing look while you shake your head.

"What can we do for you, Santana?"

"I was wondering if I could grab a course outline for your freshman class. Ro–my brother is thinking about what courses he's taking next year."

"Science is a mandatory course." Quinn says and you give her a look to which she just arches a brow.

"I know, and I told him that, he's just…weird." She rolls her eyes before focusing on you, "I told him he could look it up online and that he doesn't even need to worry about it for months but he keeps nagging me. And my sister refuses to help so."

You tilt your head at the teenager, Mercedes and the others in their own little conversation, and shrug.

"Just come by the class before you leave today; I have a few extras."

"Come on, Satan, we need a decent seat." Mercedes huffs and Santana withholds and eye roll before sending you a smile and letting herself be dragged out of the café.

You can't help but watch her go, and lift your gaze when Quinn steps in your line of vision with her arms crossed.

"We haven't slept together." You repeat, ducking your head as you brush passed her on your way out.

* * *

"Hey!"

You look up from digging in your bag, and smile at Santana as she walks into the classroom, "Hey. Here for that outline?" you chuckle, shaking your head. "Terrible excuse by the way."

Santana hums and stops by the desk, opening her backpack, "Not an excuse. Rome has actually been nagging me for a few days. The only way to get him to shut up, is to give him that damn outline." She mumbles, looking at you.

You blink and nod, getting up. You head to the back shelves and pull down a binder, flipping through it before opening the rings and slipping a single copy of the outline out. "So Romero's one of those kids."

"The overachiever, yes." She huffs as you walk back over to her. "Thanks." She smiles and you stop in front of her, dropping the thin booklet into her bag.

"You're welcome." You say softly, looking in her eyes.

She smiles sweetly and hooks a finger in a belt loop, gently pulling your closer until your lips touch hers.

You open your eyes as you pull your head back slightly, and smile affectionately at her, pecking her lips before taking a step back to finish up a few things on your desk.

"Are you staying to finish up or heading home?"

"I was thinking of staying until twenty to, but I'm pretty much finished everything." You tell her, sending out an email to Figgins when Santana wraps her arms around your waist from behind. You smile and let out a small chuckle, looking over your shoulder at her smiling at you. "What's up with you, goofy?"

She clicks her tongue and pulls back, dropping down into your chair, "My parents won't be home until later this evening."

"And?"

"And both Catarina and Rome are going to be at my Abuelo's place until my mom is out of her last meeting, so the house is going to be empty until seven at the earliest."

"Why aren't you going to your Abuelo's?"

"Mandatory Cheerio's practice." She shrugs and you let out a laugh, crossing your arms as you lean back against your desk.

"What's the point of telling me you have an empty house then? You want me to water some plants?"

Santana laughs and shakes her head, grabbing the edge of the desk to pull her closer, and spreads her legs so you're trapped between her and the desk. "I've recently been promoted to captain of the squad because Elisha is an incompetent idiot –"

"Santana."

"It's true, Britt. Coach wanted ideas to spice up a routine and Elisha suggested sombrero's." she states blankly and you wince, nodding for her to go on, "Anyway, so I'm captain, and that means I don't have to go to every practice. So, as I was saying, no one will be home…except for _me_."

You slowly lift your brows at her as she smirks up at you, running her hands up over your thighs slowly. You swallow and smile faintly, glancing at the door as her hands move higher and around to the back of your thighs.

"So?" You clear your throat and look back at her, her head tilted as she holds her bottom lip suggestively between her teeth. "Is that a yes, you'll come over?"

"What if someone comes home early?" you ask quietly and her hands drop to her lap.

"No one will. And besides, my parents know university applications take time, so they're expecting to see you a little more. Cat is barely home anymore, she's always hanging out with friends, and Rome is too innocent to think anything even if we're screaming."

"Santana!" you chastise, blushing as she giggles and stands up. You lean back in case someone walks in, although it doesn't do much seeing as you're trapped between your desk and Santana, and smile when she places a lingering kiss to the corner of your mouth.

"So I'll meet you there in twenty?" she asks and you look between her eyes before nodding. Her smile is contagious and you let out a soft laugh as she fist pumps before grabbing her bag. "Okay, I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, yeah." You wave her off with a smile and shake your head fondly as you gather your things.

* * *

"Hi..."

"Hi." You chuckle, stepping inside the house before you close the door behind you. You watch Santana tuck some hair behind her ear and arch a brow at her nervous behaviour. "You okay?"

"Huh?" she asks, and widens her eyes before nodding quickly, "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I just couldn't get hold of my mom to make sure nothing changed with her meetings."

Your eyes widen in terror and you lift your hand in goodbye, turning to leave.

"Britt!" she exclaims, pulling you back.

"Santana, you said nobody was going to be home until seven!" you say quickly, and tense when you hear a car door shut. "What the hell, it's not even four!" you panic, peeking out of the window by the door, scanning the area for any sign of one of the Lopez's. You relax when you see their neighbour and his son get out of their car in their driveway, and look back at Santana with an embarrassed smile.

"You're so fucking adorable." She says, taking your hand before leading you up the stairs.

Your eyes begin to scan the walls of her bedroom the second she opens her door. And they're just as you pictured them. A very dark grey. Literally as close to black as you can get without the paint actually being black. You glance over the fluffy chair in the corner of her room next to her closet, the doors white, as well as all the baseboards, and move onto the dark chocolate desk and dresser matching the bedframe.

Once you look at the bed, your eyes never leave it.

Santana pulls you around and closes the door behind you, pushing you down onto her bed before crashing your lips together. You nip at her bottom lip and your hands find their place on her backside as Santana slowly begins to rock against your thigh. You run your hands slowly up to her lower back and back down, slipping past her leggings, and rest one hand on her ass, your thumb hooked around the waistband of her thong, and bring your other hand back up, sliding under her shirt.

You slow the kiss to match the pace of Santana's grinding, and move your hands to her hips, flipping your positions before trailing your kisses to her neck.

She gasps when you press your thigh against her center, and you lightly bite her shoulder before sucking gently and beginning to unbutton her shirt.

"God…" she breathes, licking her lips as she watches you work on removing her shirt. You watch closely as you reveal more and more skin, and let out an impatient growl, ripping open the shirt. Santana grunts and you hear a few buttons land somewhere on the floor before Santana's pulling on your hair, forcing your head up so she can kiss you. "I liked that shirt." She breathes against your lips and you sit up, pulling your top over your head.

You watch Santana run her eyes over you, licking her lips, and smirk, bringing her hands to your chest.

"Fuck…"

"Are you really concerned about your shirt?"

"What?" she asks dumbly, looking from your bra to your eyes and back.

"Exactly." You chuckle and let out a yelp when your positions are flipped. You stare up at the teenager, a shot of arousal settling between your legs as she runs a hand through her hair, arching a brow at you.

"I'm in control this time."

You nod quickly and she grins in approval, keeping your eyes locked as her hands drop to unzip your jeans. You take a breath and her lips twitch in amusement. "What are you–oh my god!" you moan, biting your lip as Santana runs her fingers through your folds, and curse under your breath as she watches you intently.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." She says and you hum, focusing on her fingers. "Britt, are you listening to me?"

"Y-yeah. Listening." You nod slowly, letting your eyes close as you bask in her touch.

"No, you're not." You whine in protest when she pulls her hand away, and open your eyes, moving to sit up when you're pushed back down against the mattress. You stare at her with wide eyes and she smiles gently, "I need you to listen to me."

"I'm listening." You argue with a frown, "It's just a little difficult."

She drops her shoulders and sits back, tilting her head at you, "Then maybe we should talk before we do this."

"What? No!" you shake your head quickly, sitting up, "I'm listening, just–"

"Then lay back," You let out a grunt when your back hits the mattress, Santana's hand resting on your chest, "and focus."

"I am focusing."

"On what I'm _saying_ , Britt." She laughs. You huff and nod and Santana watches you closely while slipping her hand passed your panties. Your lips part and you stare up at Santana as she teases you.

"You were saying?" you ask, letting out a heavy breath.

Santana chuckles and smiles fondly at you, leaning down to kiss you. You moan and hold the back of her neck, pulling her bottom lip between your teeth as you arch into the teenager.

You gasp, letting Santana pull back when she teases a finger at your entrance, and open your eyes, looking up at her. She nods, praising you, "I want to spend the night with you."

"Okay." You nod quickly and Santana shakes her head, slowing her movements, "What, I'm listening!"

"What did I just say?"

You blink and glance to the side, thinking about it, and Santana arches her brow, "You want…a kiss?"

She leans forwards, holding herself up with her freehand, and kisses you deeply, nudging your nose with hers, "No."

"San, spit it out, you're killing me here." You whine, tilting your chin for another kiss. She hums and kisses you, keeping her fingers still against you. "What do you want?" you ask, looking up at her.

"I want to spend the night with you. A night, whatever. But I want to be alone with you without having to worry about my parents coming home, or Derek or Kieran coming to your place. Or worry about being caught in your classroom." She huffs as you nod slowly, "And I want to cook dinner with you and curl up to watch some crappy movie while we eat, and then actually fall asleep with you. Wake up with you. Have breakfast." She mumbles.

"How would we do that? There's always someone around."

"I know! That's why," she hesitates and you shift, holding back a groan of pleasure as she applies pressure with her hand, "I was thinking we could go somewhere for a weekend or something."

You arch a brow and wet your lips, pushing yourself up onto your elbows, and this time Santana doesn't push you back down, "You want to go away for the weekend? Together? You…you think we're at that point in our relationship already?" you ask slowly and Santana furrows her brows.

"Why do you sound like that? Do you not want to?"

"No, I just mean, like, doesn't it usually take a few months for people to go away together?"

"Well how long did it take before you and your ex went somewhere?" she asks with an arched brow and you adjust your arms, and frown.

"I'm sorry, you want to talk about me and my ex while you have your hand down my pants?" Santana rolls her eyes and pulls her hand out, much to your objection. "I didn't mean–"

"So how long until you went away together?" she asks, wiping her fingers on your jeans as you narrow your eyes at her. "Well?" she shrugs, and runs a hand through her hair.

"It was different then. We were in university."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I mean, we weren't teenagers running away together. We were older and–"

"I'm not just some immature kid, Brittany. I don't want to just run away with you." She scoffs, holding her hand out to the side, "I just want a day or two where we can actually act like a couple without having to worry about being teacher and student from the same school. I'm not asking for you to take me to Paris. We could go to the fricken Motel 6 off the highway." She rolls her eyes and you swallow, watching her. "You know what? Forget it. Sneaking around is always fun."

You frown and push yourself upright, gently grabbing her wrist before she climbs off of you, and use your other hand to cup the back of her neck, bringing her in for a kiss. She pushes on your shoulder and you wrap your arm around her waist, pulling her closer to you as she relaxes against you.

"San," you frown as you pull back from the kiss. She looks at you and you tuck some hair behind her ear, "I don't think you're immature. And I don't see you as a kid. I just…" you sigh and drop your hand, "My ex and I kind of rushed into everything, including going away. We were together for like two weeks before we went somewhere, and everything from that point on just went downhill. It was literally two years of fighting and her accusing me of cheating on her, when in reality she was the one who cheated on me, and…" you shake your head and look up at her sympathetic expression, "I just don't want to repeat that. I already care about you so much more than I did her. I'm serious about us and I want this to work; I just don't want to rush anything."

"Britt…" she whispers softly, resting her forehead against yours.

"A few days alone would be nice though." You say, pulling your head back. She lifts her brows, and smiles. "And, I mean, maybe not a Motel 6, but a decent hotel would be nice." You shrug and Santana chuckles, pulling you into a kiss that quickly turns heated.

The two of you are too focused on keeping your lips together as you begin to tug her shirt down her arms, Santana arching her back to roll her hips against yours, to hear the front door open and close. Or hear the footsteps on the stairs.

Santana moans, sliding her hand passed your panties, and you whisper her name against her lips, your fingers tangling in her hair.

"Girl, that door is never locked, I swear someone–Oh my god!"

* * *

 **A/N: Whoops :) So also, as you now know, Faberry aint no thang. What can ya do. Gonna be spreading out future updates a bit more. So chapter 24 will be up on Sunday :(**

 **-B**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Four days late...well shit. I'm sorry about that, everyone. So people have noticed, obviously, how updates have been slowing down, and that's because I've been dividing my attention with other stories I'm writing, and because this one is coming to an end. I think there are less than ten chapters.**

 **So with that being said, I'm going to leave you to your reading, and then I'll post chapter 25 for making you wait; I think I'll post that one tomorrow in the afternoon. Mwah!**

 **-B**

* * *

 **April, 2012** :

"Girl, that door is never locked, I swear someone–Oh my god!"

Santana yanks her hand out of your pants as you freeze, your heart beating erratically against your chest, and glances down at you with wide eyes as you stare up at her, terrified.

"What's with the 'oh my god'?"

"Fuck." You mumble under your breath, Santana moving to jump up when the other person screams bloody murder. "Santana!" you hiss, keeping her on top of you. She looks at you and looks between your eyes, apologizing with her own.

"I'm scarred for life."

"Can the two of you _please_ get _out_?" Santana snaps as you keep your head turned away from the door. The door closes quickly and Santana slumps against you, muttering, what you assume are, curses before moving to get up.

"What are you doing?" you ask quickly, keeping her from getting up.

She frowns and motions towards the door, "Britt, I have to talk to them before they leave and say anything to someone."

"Talk to them about what?" you ask quickly, sitting up, "Santana, they fucking walked in on us. Two of my _students_. Not one, but _two_."

"They're your students, but they're my friends." She says, slipping away from you as you being to panic. "Brittany, it will be fine. They won't say anything, I promise. They probably didn't even see you. I was covering your face."

You give her a pointed look and she shrugs, "Santana, my truck is on the street."

"Yeah, but a few houses down." You tilt your head and she huffs, taking her shirt off to swap it with a tank top, "Just…wait here until I come back." You open your mouth to protest but she slips out of her room before you can get a word out.

"Fucking damn it." You grumble, pushing yourself up out of bed and grab your shirt from the floor, pulling it on as you glance at the door.

You swallow and hesitate before quietly walking out of the room and to the top of the stairs.

You slowly descend and hear yelling from the kitchen. And for some reason you think it's a brilliant idea to go and check it out. You keep moving down the stairs as quietly as you can while listening to Santana try and calm down her two hysterical friends.

"First of all, how did I not pick up on you?"

"Would you just – wait, what?"

"My gaydar is never wrong. I don't know how I couldn't have figured it out."

"Well maybe someone isn't actually gay, and is just thirsty for attention."

"Mercedes, I can assure you, I'm one hundred and twelve percent gay."

"Not you, you _idiot_."

You can't help but snort quietly in amusement, and stay close to the wall as you move towards the kitchen, fixing the bottom of your shirt.

"I'm not thirsty for attention, and this isn't just some random hook up to piss Kieran off." Santana sighs and you can just picture her running her hand through her hair while frowning. You lean against the wall, your head turned to the side as you listen to her try and convince Kurt and Mercedes.

"You expect us to believe you, yet you won't tell us who she is?"

You widen your eyes and take a step away from the kitchen. Santana hadn't told them it was you? Wait, no, they really didn't see you? You slowly turn to retreat back to Santana's room so you can grab your keys and phone before sprinting out of the house to try and make it to your truck, and freeze when Santana speaks up.

"I told you that I will tell you if you promise to not overreact and listen to me before you do anything crazy."

 _Shit_ , you think and look at the door, debating going home and returning later on for your shit.

"I promise, now tell me." Kurt says before a long pause.

"Wheezy?"

"Fine. I promise." You relax slightly and hold your breath as you listen to Santana say your name.

"Brittany." You wince, waiting for one of them, or both, to start yelling, and glance to the side when Kurt speaks up.

"Brittany? Do we know a Brittany?"

"Satan, you can't just make up names. You said you would tell us so –"

"Brittany Pierce." She sighs, "I swear you two are slow. It's like –"

"Ms. Pierce?!" Kurt shrieks and you nod, because there's the reaction you were waiting for.

"She's a teacher!"

"Never mind that, she's, like, old."

You scowl at Kurt's comment and shake your head.

"Wait, Cedes! You promised me you would listen to me!" Santana calls and you frown before taking a quick step back when Mercedes storms around the corner. She stops and narrows her eyes at you, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"Mercedes, seriously, listen to –" Kurt stops as he and Santana almost bump into the fuming black girl, "her…Oh boy." He mumbles, glancing at Santana.

You look back at Mercedes, before swallowing and glancing to Santana for some help, completely at a lost for what you're supposed to do. "Uhm, okay, listen –" you being, running a hand through your hair.

"No, you listen." Mercedes cuts you off, marching up to you. You pull your head back when she pokes you in the chest, and frown, swatting her hand away. "How dare you take advantage of her."

"I'm sorry, take advantage?" your frown deepens as Santana moves to take a step. Kurt puts his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head and you focus on Mercedes again.

"You're our teacher. She's your student! And she's underage, which makes this completely illegal! And sick!" Mercedes shouts, poking you again.

"Don't poke me." You tell her firmly and she arches a brow, pushing your shoulder. You catch yourself and give her a pointed look. "Don't push me."

"Don't push me." She counters, putting her hands on her hips, "My dad's a cop. I should report you right now."

"Your dad's a dentist." Kurt says blankly and you look over Mercedes's shoulder while she looks back at him.

"Well my second cousin is a cop."

"That's true." Kurt nods and Santana shakes her head, pulling away from Kurt.

"No one is reporting anyone." She says firmly, standing beside you. Kurt steps forward to stand by Mercedes, but off to the side, with his arms crossed, and an intrigued look on his face. "Cedes, I love you, but who I'm with isn't any of your business."

"Santana, she's our _teacher_!"

"Yeah, we all know that. But, I don't care. We're graduating in a few months, so what's the big deal. And I turn eighteen before then anyway!" she throws her hands up and you shift behind her, putting your hands in your pockets as you look between the three teenagers. "And before you try to claim that she was taking advantage of me," she pauses and you look at her, "I was on top."

Your cheeks burn as Kurt tries to hold back a laugh, Mercedes shaking her head while rubbing her temples, and Santana holds her head high, looking back at you.

"San, was that really necessary?" you ask quietly and she rolls her eyes.

"Yes. She has to know that I'm the one who initiated everything, today and the first time."

"Oh my god, this wasn't the first time?" Kurt gasps in amusement. Your blush deepens and you clear your throat, avoiding meeting his gaze.

"This is wrong, you do realize that?" Mercedes asks, turning around to face the two of you.

"If you were in our position you wouldn't think that." Santana states and you smile faintly. She smiles at you and after a moment Kurt claps his hands together.

"Okay, for the record, I'm completely for this relationship. You two are adorable."

"Kurt!"

"Thanks." Santana mumbles with a small blush as you subtly take her hand and caress the top of it with your thumb.

"Whatever, Mercedes, who cares." Kurt rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, "So are we hanging out or do you want us to leave so you can finish up?"

"Oh my god." You mumble, embarrassed, as Santana arches her brow at you with a smirk.

* * *

You look up from washing the couple of dishes in the sink, as Santana gets up from the table with her plate, and keep your eyes on Mercedes sitting with Kurt, shaking her head at whatever he whispers.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I don't know…" you say softly, turning your attention to Santana. She frowns and puts her plate on the counter, stepping closer to you, "This just feels really weird. I mean, Kurt is okay, I guess, but…" you trail off, catching Mercedes eyeing the two of you, "She keeps, like, glaring at me." You mumble quietly with a frown.

"Just don't focus on her. She can deal with whatever her issue is on her own time." Santana says, shooting Mercedes a pointed look before she returns her attention to Kurt.

You look away from them and look at Santana as she hops onto the counter, "Santana, she doesn't approve at all. _She_ will very likely be the one to call the cops on me." You whisper. Santana frowns and you drop your shoulders in defeat, turning to finish the dishes.

"No, screw that."

"Santana, you can't just say screw that. If it happens, it–" You're cut off by Santana's lips as she holds your cheeks, pulling you closer. You stumble over your feet and press your wet hand on the counter to catch yourself, Santana wrapping her arms loosely around your neck as she slides her tongue into your mouth. You let out a whine and move your free hand to her hip, feeling her shiver as your fingers brush just under her shirt.

Your hand slides up further against her back as your other hand moves closer to her thigh on the counter, and Santana arches her back, pulling you closer while wrapping her legs around your waist.

"Woah! Okay, tongues back in their respective mouths, thank you very much." Kurt calls, although his request falls on deaf ears as you suck on the tip of Santana's tongue, pulling her closer to you so her clothed center is pressed against your stomach.

"Seriously, this is actually pretty gross!" Kurt calls and Santana moans, tugging on the hem of your shirt. You break the kiss, panting through parted lips and Kurt mumbles a "thank you Jesus" before shrieking when Santana pulls her shirt over her head, tossing it back at him.

You hear the legs of chairs scrapping against the floor as Santana pulls you into another heated kiss, and barely register the two sets of retreating footsteps before the front door slams shut.

You smile into the kiss and Santana pulls back, giggling. You shake your head at her and look between her sparkling eyes before sliding her off the counter.

"You're evil."

"I think you mean genius." She grins and you nod in agreement, pecking her lips repeatedly as you carry her back to the stairs.

* * *

 **A/N: :) so tomorrow afternoon, chapter 25!**

 **-B**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: And here is the bonus chapter for being late updating 24.**

 **-B**

* * *

 **May, 2021** :

"Okay, everyone," you say, looking up from your hands as you fold them in your lap, "There are only a few more weeks left until exams start, so we're going to have your last test next Wednesday, and we'll start exam review the Monday afterwards." You look around the class, waiting for your students to nod and let you know they are listening, and tense when your eyes meet Mercedes.

It's only been a week and a bit since she and Kurt walked in on you and Santana, and despite Santana's reassurance that Mercedes has agreed to keep the two of you a secret, and not mention it to _anyone_ , you're still skeptical. You can barely look at the girl without tensing and glancing around, waiting to be ambushed by Figgins and a pair of officers.

You shift uncomfortably as she narrows her eyes at you, and look to Kurt sitting next to the girl, hiding his knowing grin behind a small book he's been reading for the past few days.

As much as Mercedes detests the idea of Santana and you being a couple, Kurt never fails to voice his approval. It makes you just as uncomfortable as Mercedes disapproving glare.

You clear your throat as you turn your attention away from the two best friends of your girlfriend, and glance at the clock on the wall as the bell rings overhead.

"Alright, I'll see you all on Monday." You say, smiling faintly at the students as they get up and leave the classroom, chatting with their friends, "Have a good weekend, and try not to get in any trouble." You joke, grinning at one of the jocks whispering with a friend. He does a double take and blushes faintly, nodding as he hurries out of the room.

"She's one to talk."

You clench your jaw and flick your gaze over to Mercedes and Kurt gathering their things from their desk, and avert your gaze as you let out a sigh.

"Mercedes, just get over it." Kurt huffs and you push yourself up straight, picking up a few papers that were left behind from other students.

"It's wrong." Mercedes states, not even bothering to keep her voice down, "And weird." She adds. You pause and look back at her, shaking your head as you turn around.

"Ms. Jones, can I have a word with you?" you ask, dropping the papers in the recycling bin near the desk before you cross your arms over your chest.

"I have lunch."

"Ms. Jones!" You call firmly, watching Kurt and Mercedes stop at the door, Kurt looking between the two of you as Mercedes looks at you with a flash of fear in her eyes. Your shoulders drop and you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, glancing at Kurt, "Can you give us a minute?"

He gives a hesitant nod before letting Mercedes know he'll be in line at the cafeteria, and leaving the room.

The two of you stand facing each other, on either sides of the room, until you decide it's been quite enough.

"Look, Mercedes, this can't go on forever. We have another month together and I'd rather it not be filled with you throwing me dirty looks whenever I'm not looking. Or when I am." You say pointedly, giving her a knowing look. "Now Kurt's not here to throw in his comments, and Santana's not here to force the relationship upon the both of you, so can we please just talk about this?" you ask with a heavy sigh, tilting your head.

"Why do you care so much?" she asks with a frown and you shrug.

"Because you're Santana's best friend, and one of my better students." You say easily and Mercedes straighten slightly. "So come on, tell me outright what's bugging you so much about this." You say, sitting on the edge of one of the students desks.

You watch as Mercedes opens her mouth, pausing before furrowing her eyebrows, and tilt your head again.

"You're her teacher. And she's a minor. Both of which makes your relationship wrong."

"Okay, we understand that, and both of us know that there are consequences, but we didn't act on our feelings until second semester, so she wasn't a student in my class."

"She's still a minor."

"She'll be eighteen in two weeks." You remind her with a shrug, "Is it going to make that much of a difference whether we wait those two weeks or not? The age difference is still going to be the same. When she graduates I'll still be her teacher in a sense. So age, and professional relationship aside, why are you against it?"

Mercedes opens her mouth before closing it, and blinking repeatedly as she glances around, "I…I don't know."

You nod slowly, looking at the floor before wetting your lips and lifting your head, focusing on your student, "All you need to know is that I care about her very much, and I don't intend to hurt her in any way. She's quite special to me." You admit with a faint blush as Mercedes crosses her arms, listening closely while studying you. "I have had serious relationships in the past, but my feelings for Santana surpass those in previous relationships tenfold. I want this to work with her." You tell her honestly before taking a breath, "And for things to work, I'd like to have her friends on board so the list of things we have to worry about doesn't grow and take away our focus from each other and our relationship."

"Are you telling me that you love her?"

You snap your head up with wide eyes as Mercedes stares at you expectantly, her eyes narrowed once again, and swallow as you try to calm your heart. You never really thought about love. Being _in_ _love_ with Santana. _Jesus_ , you say inwardly, realizing just how strong your feelings for her are, and how quickly.

"I'm…not sure." You say slowly with a confused frown.

"Well since we found out about you, that girl has not stopped gushing about you, whether Kurt and I wanted to know or not. Which most of the time I did not. Kurt…he's his own person." She waves her hand in dismissal and as you lift your gaze to meet hers, "All I know is that girl is crazy in love with you. She hasn't said it, god bless, but it's pretty damn obvious. I mean, hell, she wouldn't let Kieran kiss her cheek when we were with them, but she had no problem displaying full-blown PDA with you."

You blush furiously at the comment and Mercedes sighs, uncrossing her arms.

"Damn, you two are disgusting." You frown, "And I mean that in the good way."

"Thanks?" you chuckle and she cracks a faint smile.

"You don't hurt her, and you have my blessing." She states with a sassy grin. You roll your eyes and hop off the table, nodding.

"I give you my word."

"Good." She nods, "It was tiring having to hate you." She huffs, offering a smile before turning and leaving the room, leaving you standing with a frown.

"Hate me?" you mumble.

* * *

You look up from your laptop and over your shoulder when the front door closes, hearing the familiar sound of Santana dropping her shoes on the rug in the foyer before she walks further into the house.

"What did you do?" she asks with a smile and you narrow your eyes with a confused smile.

"What do you mean?"

She shakes her head and sits on her knees in the spot next to you on the couch before pulling you into a long and deep kiss.

You lick your lips as you open your eyes, Santana looking at you affectionately with a smile as she props her elbow on the back of the couch, resting her cheek in her hand.

"What?" you chuckle, smiling at her.

"I'm waiting in line with Kurt at lunch, and Mercedes stops beside me and says, and I quote, 'You now have my blessing'." She tells you, and your smile grows, "So I want to know what you did to change her mind?"

"I just talked to her." You tell her, "I asked her why she was against the relationship, and then pointed out you're eighteen in two weeks, and I will always be your teacher in a way."

Santana hums, playing with your fingers as you watch, and you shrug, "I guess she was just worried I'd hurt you…and wanted to know whether I loved you or not."

She pauses from flipping your hand over, and you glance up at her, "What'd you say to that?" she asks carefully. You look between her eyes before putting your laptop on the coffee table and gently guiding her until she is straddling your lap.

"I told her I wasn't sure." You tell her and wrap your arms around her waist when she shifts, "But, that was because she caught me off guard, and I hadn't really thought about it before." You add quickly. Santana nervously bites on her lower lip as she picks at the strap of your tank top, and you smile sweetly at her, ducking your head to catch her off guard with a kiss.

Santana flutters her eyes open and runs her hand around the end of your ponytail as you hold her stare, giving her a gentle squeeze around the waist.

"I'm still not sure if I'm at the 'I love you' point, but I'll be there soon enough." You tell her and smile when her lips twitch upwards, "I'm falling in love with you, that's for damn sure." You chuckle.

"Yeah?"

"Mhm." Your smile widens as Santana tucks her head into the crook of your neck to hide her beaming smile and rosy cheeks. "You're so cute!" you laugh and Santana groans, playing with the hairs at the back of your neck. "What's with the groan? Cute is good." You say, pulling your head back to look at the brunette.

Santana lifts her head and brushes her hair back, narrowing her eyes at you, "Cute is for children."

"Well considering you're still only seventeen…"

"Don't you dare." She warns playfully and you shrug, lifting your hand to brush your thumb over her cheek.

"You're just a young'n." you tease, bopping her nose gently as Santana scowls before smirking and grabbing your throat lightly. You lift your brows in surprise and run your eyes over her face as she tilts your head back, pressing her body against yours, causing a shaky breath to pass your lips.

"Well this _young'n_ knows just how to turn you on, don't I?" she whispers, moving her face closer until your lips are only inches apart; her index finger lightly running across your bottom lip as you hold her heated stare.

"Santana-"

"Yes?" she rasps with a smirk, tilting her head when you let out a whimper.

"I need-"

Santana shifts her gaze to your phone resting on the coffee table as it vibrates against the wood surface, and you whine in protest when she shifts her weight, reaching for the phone.

"Figgins?" she questions and tightens her grip on your shoulder as you sit up, snatching the phone from her hand. Santana arches a brow at you and you offer a reassuring smile before getting to your feet and answering the phone.

"Principal Figgins!" you greet, walking into your kitchen.

" _Ms. Pierce, I would appreciate that next time you wish for me to call you, you do not pose as one of our board members. My heart is too old to handle that_." you wince as he continues to lecture you, and spare a glance at Santana, watching in mild amusement from the couch.

You look away and clear your throat, waiting for the man to take a breath before cutting in, "Principal Figgins, sir, I totally get it, but I was hoping to talk to you about…" you pause and glance at Santana scrolling through her phone, and lower your voice, "About next Friday. I'm going to need you to find a substitute for my classes."

* * *

"You do remember that I'm here, right?"

You jump and look at Santana standing at the island with her arms crossed, and nod, looking back at your phone. You send the message and put the phone down, smiling at the girl. "I was just talking to Puck about something."

"Uh huh, and Figgins? You're not going to be at school Friday?"

You purse your lips and shrug, "Next Friday, and I may." Santana frowns in confusion and you check your phone when it beeps, beaming when you get the message you were hoping for.

"Britt, come on, you don't like it when I'm on my phone all the time." Santana huffs, leaning against the counter. You let out a laugh and give her a pointed look.

"That's because you're _always_ on your phone." You remind her and she rolls her eyes. You place your phone on the counter and slyly move over to the brunette, wrapping your arms around her waist as you watch a smile tug at her lips. "So your birthday is in two weeks." You smile and Santana chuckles, nodding.

"That it is."

You squeeze her waist a little tighter before drumming your fingers against her sides, nodding to the counter. She rolls her eyes fondly and you lift her up, stepping between her legs as she settles on the edge of the island top, "Do you usually celebrate your birthday on the day or the weekend after it?"

You watch her shrug and step closer, resting your hands on her thighs, "We usually just go out for an overly expensive dinner and then they give me presents when we get home. I haven't had a huge family party since I turned thirteen."

"Excellent!" you beam and Santana laughs, smiling down at you, "Now my next question, is there any way that you'd be able to say you're staying at a friends and have them buy it, so we can go away for the weekend?" you smile cheekily at the girl, watching as her eyes widen and her smile grow, before she's throwing her arms around your neck, and squealing with excitement.

"Are you serious?" she breathes, pulling back and you nod, grabbing your phone.

"I was texting Puck because his friend from college is some hot shot businessman in New York and whenever he travels to Ohio, he stays at the Hilton in Columbus, and he's stayed there so many times that they offer him this kickass discount. And Puck told me he did some huge favor back in college, and the guy offered to help him out whenever he needs it, and Puck convinced him to get us his deal for our little getaway." You smile proudly as Santana gawks at you.

"Britt…the Hilton a lot different than Motel 6." She says quietly with a shake of her head and you shrug.

"Yeah, I know, but I'll be paying the same price."

"You'll be paying? No."

You scoff and nod, "Yes, I'm paying. It's for your birthday, why would I make you pay."

Santana stares at you and you match her, not wavering until she shakes her head, running a hand through her hair, signalling you won. You grin victoriously, and lift your hand to her cheek, turning her attention back to you as you lean in, pressing your lips to hers.

"All you need to do is get out of the house for two days." You tells her and she sighs dramatically, looking at you fondly when you bounce excitedly.

* * *

 **A/N: Next update will be Sunday. Don't know the time, but it WILL be Sunday.**

 **-B**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: and chapter 26 on time!**

 **-B**

* * *

May, 2021:

"Oh please, tell me you're joking, and that you're not this stupid."

You pause and look up from your suitcase, shooting Quinn a small glare, "What did we say about that word?"

Quinn rolls her eyes with a huff and moves closer to your bed as you resume packing.

"And no, Quinn, I'm not joking." You tell her, folding a pair of sweats before placing them in the case, "It's her birthday, and she told me a while ago that she just wants us to be able to act like an actual fucking couple for once without having to hide from literally every person in Lima." You shake your head with a frown and snap your gaze up when you reach to grab one of the pairs of panties you are brining, only to have it snatched up before you can.

Quinn lifts her fist, waving the underwear in front of your face with wide eyes, "Brittany, she's a teenager! And a student!"

"She's a legal adult, and she's my girlfriend." You counter, yanking the panties out of her grasp, dropping them in the suitcase before the others follow suit. "I know it's not the smartest situation to get ourselves into, but it's not like we just jumped into anything." You sigh, straightening your back as you cross your arms, looking at your best friend, "You know I tried to hold back. Our feelings just...titles shouldn't matter when what we have is real." You state and Quinn shakes her head at you.

"Britt, you know I love you, and I want you to be happy, especially after that bitch-"

"Quinn."

"Sorry." She huffs, "But I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I won't, because everyone who knows about us, promised to keep their mouths shut." You tell her with a pointed look and Quinn narrows her eyes.

"Everyone?"

"Mhm, you, Puck-"

"Puck knows?"

"Of course, how do you think I managed to score the hotel deal?" you ask and Quinn gawks before running both hands through her hair restlessly, "Then there's Kurt and Mercedes-"

"Kurt _Hummel_ and Mercedes _Jones_?" Quinn shrieks and you wince at the volume, "Our _students_? Two of our students know you're involved with another student? God, this is just a fucking recipe for disaster. And out of all the students you choose to tell the two biggest gossips in the school. I _applaud_ you're idiocy."

"They're Santana's friends, what did you expect?" you ask with a chuckle, turning to face your case instead of her, "Also, they kind of walked in on us."

"They – oh, this just gets better and better for you, doesn't it?"

You spin on her, grabbing her arms and duck your head to meet her gaze, "Quinn, relax." She looks between your eyes as she hyperventilates, and you crack a faint smile as she calms, "You get way too involved with problems that aren't your own."

"So you admit this is a problem."

"Have I ever claimed it wasn't? I'm not a moron." You laugh before shrugging, "Anyway, I have to pick Santana up in an hour so can I have my bra?" you nod to the blue sports bra clenched in her fist, and hold your hand out with an amused smile, whispering a thank you when she drops it in your hand.

* * *

" _Alright, so you just go to the front desk and tell whoever's there that the two of you are checking in under the name Reagan Millard_." Puck says through the phone as you come to a stop outside of Mercedes's house.

"That's it?" you frown, "Puck, are you sure this is even legit? Are you sure you didn't hook up with a girl he liked, and him repaying whatever favor you did for him isn't a way for him to screw you over?"

" _Considering he's very, very gay and always has been, I doubt that's the case_." He laughs and you huff, looking towards the front door of the house when it opens; Santana hugging Mercedes and Kurt at the door before hurrying over with a duffle bag.

"Puck, hold one a second."

" _No problemo_. " he replies quickly as you get out of the truck, rounding the front to greet Santana.

"Hey!" she huffs with a smile, letting the duffle drop to the ground before letting out a relieved breath.

"Hi." You chuckle, placing a quick kiss to her cheek before waving to the two watching from the door. They wave back before Mercedes ushers Kurt inside, and you open the passenger door for Santana before lifting her duffle into the back. "Damn, Lopez, what did you bring?" you huff, standing back as you watch Santana pull herself into the truck with ease.

"Just the essentials."

"Just the essentials, my ass." You snort, closing the back door before hers, making your way back behind the wheel. "Okay…" you breathe, closing the door behind you while putting your seatbelt on. It clicks into place and you drop your hands onto the wheel, turning to look at Santana smiling at you. "Hi."

"Hi." She giggles, leaning over the middle console.

You smile into the kiss, nudging your nose against hers affectionately, and only pull back when you hear someone clear their throat.

" _You forget about me_?" Puck asks and you blush, glancing at Santana as she looks at you in shock.

"He was on hold." You tell her and she nods slowly.

" _Ms. Lopez_." Puck greets through the phone and Santana smiles, returning the greeting before settling in the seat.

"Okay, so back to our conversation," you say, shifting into drive before pulling away from Mercedes's curb, "We just walk in and tell whoever's behind the desk that we're booked under Reagan Millard?"

"That's it?" Santana asks and you lift your shoulders.

" _That's it, my young, Latina_ , friend." Puck confirms as you snort a laugh, glancing between Santana and the road.

Santana runs her tongue along her teeth, eyeing the phone on the dash, and you hold back a grin, "Alright, well we'll be turning onto the highway in a few minutes, so I'm going to let you go, Puck." You say, sending Santana a wink when she looks at you.

" _Trying to get rid of me, huh? I get it." He laughs, "Okay, have fun you two, and I mean all kinds of fun, it doesn't have to stay PG_ -"

"Goodbye, Puckerman." You cut him off, ending the call with a push of a button on your steering wheel, and glance at a blushing Santana before your clear your throat and offer a sheepish smile, "He's a guy."

* * *

You pull up behind a sedan at the set of stoplights, and rest your head back against the headrest before you glance at the time. Eight twenty-seven. Santana lets out a small sigh, and you turn your head to look at her, smiling softly at her sleeping with her knees angled, sock clad feet resting on your dash.

Normally that would piss you the fuck off, but with Santana, you're pretty sure she could do absolutely anything and everything and you wouldn't be bothered whatsoever.

You catch the light turn green in your peripheral, and return your gaze to the road, looking for the hotel as you go. It's been a good two hours since you left Lima, the traffic terrible and not at all what you expected. Plus, you are exhausted from rushing to get everything done today, getting up earlier than usual to ensure it got done. You just want to crash. Much like Santana, who left you to entertain yourself after an hour into the drive. Your foot presses gently on the brake to let a car pull in front of you, and you nod your head in reply to their appreciative wave, scanning the area around you for the damn hotel.

You find it after a few minutes, and turn into the appropriate lane, following the road until you're pulling into the lot.

"Jesus…" you breathe in awe, running your eyes over the building, and spend the next five minutes trying to score a parking spot.

Turning the key, the engine shuts off and you unbuckle your belt, reaching over to place your hand on Santana's arm.

"San…" you whisper softly, caressing her skin with your thumb, "San, we're here." You tell her and watch her suck in a deep breath through her nose before letting it escape the same way. She blinks her eyes open and looks at you with a squint, making you smile lovingly at her, and lowers her feet to the floor of the truck, sitting up properly.

"Hey…" she rasps and you swallow, ignoring how sexy her voice sounds. "We're here?"

"Mhm," you nod, pulling your hand back, "Thanks for falling asleep on me, by the way."

Santana winces and smiles apologetically as you shake your head with a chuckle and get out of the truck, moving to open the door for her. You watch her slip her feet into her heeled boots, of which she claims 'makes her look older', and pull out her duffle, stumbling at the weight. Santana snickers and you roll your eyes, putting the strap over your shoulder before grabbing your suitcase and popping the wheels out.

"Okay." You nod to yourself and close the doors, locking the vehicle before the two of you head to the front entrance. "So we just go to the desk and-"

"Holy shit." Santana says and you look up from trying to get your suitcase up the steps, and follow her gaze to the lobby of the hotel; your lips parting in awe. This was probably the nicest hotel you've ever stepped foot inside. You look around, Santana wrapping her hand around your bicep, walking with you until you reach the desk; a middle aged and smiling man standing behind it.

"Hello, welcome to the Hilton. Can I get you a room or –"

"Uh, oh, we have a reservation." You say, focusing on the man rather than the space around you.

"Excellent, under what name?"

You open your mouth and furrow your brows, thinking of what he guy's name was, when Santana chuckles softly at you, "Reagan Millard." She provides and you smile at her, receiving a wink of her own.

You look back at the man as his brows lift, "You two must be the friends Mr. Millard called in about." The two of you smile and he nods, looking down at the computer screen on the desk, "Okay, so you'll be staying in Mr. Millard's regular suite on the forty-first floor…if one of you would just sign this..." he says, taking a form from the printer next to him, sliding it in front of you and Santana with a pen.

"Shouldn't we pay before we sign, or something?" you question, signing your name in the box before placing the pen down on the paper, watching the man pick it up and print another copy.

"Mr. Millard already paid with his card, everything's covered." He grins as the smile falters on your face, as well as Santana's.

You exchange a look with the brunette as she runs a hand through her hair, wearing a confused frown, and look back at the man, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Mr. Millard has already covered everything. The suite includes room service twice a day, breakfast and dinner, as well as bottle of red wine in the room, anything other than that you will have to pay for." He smiles, handing you two room keys along with your copy of the reservation details.

You look at Santana, her brows lifted, and look back at the man before nodding slowly and thanking him, grabbing Santana's hand to lead her from the desk.

"Are you serious?" Santana whispers in question and you lift your shoulders, leading her to the elevators while pulling out your cell phone. You hit the up button and wait for the doors to open before the tow of you step in, and then you're typing out a quick message to Puck. "How rich is this guy?"

"No idea, but I mean, he does get some crazy deal when he stays here, so it shouldn't have been that much, right?"

"Britt, we were just given two room keys for a suite at the Hilton, without having to pay a single cent. That's insane." Santana states and you nod, looking at your phone when it dings, only a winking face as the reply.

"I know, but what can we do?" you ask her and she purses her lips, slumping against the wall of the elevator as it continues to ascend. The doors open and you look at the key, locating the room easily. You swipe the card and push the door open, nodding for Santana to head in first.

She takes your suitcase behind her, leading you in and mumbles curses under her breath as she takes in the place while you follow closely behind. It was like a tiny apartment. The door leads you past a small eating area that opens to a living room with a couch, two chairs, and a TV. Santana goes straight to the window, opening the curtains to take in the view as you continue on to the bedroom; a clean king sized bed in the middle of the far wall, with a desk to it left, across the door to the bathroom, and a television shelf across from the bed.

"This place is beautiful, Britt." Santana says from behind you, looking over your shoulder with her hands on your waist. You nod and step inside the room to let her take a look, placing her duffle on the bed before doing the same with your suitcase.

You run a hand through your hair, blowing out through your mouth and watch Santana in amusement as she drops down onto the bed, spreading her arms out over her head, "Oh my god…"

"Comfortable?"

"It's like I'm lying on a cloud." She whispers and you chuckle, "Lay down with me." She says, turning onto her stomach as you take a step back while shaking your head.

"As lovely as that sounds, I haven't done any form of exercise today, and I refuse to miss one."

"Britt, your body is perfect." Santana says with a laugh, "I would know, I've become very well acquainted with it." She smiles seductively and you roll your eyes, unzipping your suitcase.

"It's _perfect_ because I never miss a work out."

"Then come here. I'll spot you."

You shiver at her tone and glance at her through your lashes, her head tilted and bottom lip trapped between her teeth.

"Are you hungry?" you ask and Santana's suggestive smile falters before coming back instantly, "Not for that!" She pouts and you shake your head with a smile, "Do you need a cold shower?"

"Only if you join me." She smiles sweetly.

"Oh my god." You mumble, grabbing your leggings and sports bra before heading into the bathroom to change; Santana chuckling from the bed.

* * *

 **A/N: Next update will be Sunday!**

 **-B**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Okay so I suck at updating on time apparently. Not much to say about that, but after this update, we'll be skipping next Sunday because I have a shit load of university assignments to finish so i'm sorry about that :( but I think this chapter may help out with that, just a lil.**

 **-B**

* * *

You make sure the door to the fitness room closes securely behind you before heading to the elevator and stepping inside when the doors open. Removing your headphones you check your phone for the time, turning off your music as you do so, and lightly chew on your bottom lip when you see that you've been gone for almost an hour.

Get away for Santana's birthday, and you spend the first hour alone. You shake your head at yourself, straightening when the doors open to your floor, and ignore the appreciative looks from the group of middle aged men stepping onto the elevator as you head to your room.

You lean your head closer to the door, listening for the TV, or anything, and use your key, stepping inside the room.

Santana looks up from her laptop resting on the arm of the couch, the TV volume low as it plays some documentary on elephants, and not so subtly runs her eyes over you as you move further into the room.

"You work out for an hour?" she asks with a grimace and you chuckle, nodding while leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"I do." You whisper, straightening up as you look at the TV, "Why are you watching this?"

"It was on this channel when I tuned it on, I'm not really focusing on it." She says, sounding distracted, as you stand by her, listening to the TV for a few moments.

"Hmm…okay, well I'm going to take a quick shower." You say and she hums in response. You can feel her eyes on you as you retreat to the bedroom, and shake your head softly with a smile. You sit on the edge of the bed, your shoulders dropping as you withhold from allowing yourself to fall back against the soft mattress, and you blink to regain focus, leaning over to untie your runners.

The quiet humming from the TV stops and you glance to the door when you hear a soft click, returning your eyes to your laces when Santana walks into the room. You toss your runners into your suitcase and look up at Santana standing by the door with her laptop while you remove the elastic from your hair, and arch a brow in question. "What?"

"Hmm?" she blinks, focusing her gaze on your face as your lips twitch.

"Are you done with whatever?" you ask, nodding to her laptop.

"Oh, yeah, yeah. I was just starting my outline for my last English assignment."

"What's the topic?" you ask while getting to your feet, running your hands through your hair.

"Uh, you know…" she mumbles, her eyes dropping to your stomach as you drop your hands to your hips, "I don't know." She shakes her head, lifting her eyes to meet yours; not hiding your amusement at her behaviour.

"Is there something I can help you with, San?" you ask gently, tilting your head at her. She takes a deep breath and slowly looks around the room before placing her laptop carefully next to the TV. Your lips pull into a grin as you keep your eyes on her and how she makes her way over to you without looking actually at you. "Did you take that cold shower?" you tease and Santana finally looks at you. You gulp at her dark eyes and stumble into her when she tugs you forwards by the nape of your neck.

Your lips collide with hers and part not a second later to welcome her hot tongue into your mouth, and your fingers wrap around her biceps as her one hand wraps around your waist.

A moan is pulled from the back of your throat when the hand at the back of your neck runs down to your shoulder before nails are dragging down your arm, and your hips jerk against hers, causing her to break the kiss in order to let out a quiet _fuck_.

And god, it turns you on even more.

You move your hands to her cheeks, bringing her in for another kiss, shivering when her hands slide down to rest on your lower back, pulling you closer. You bump into the bed, tightening your hold on Santana to keep from toppling backwards, and pull back from the kiss with her lip trapped between your teeth, enticing a hiss form the brunette, before you move your lips over her jaw, nipping here and there.

Santana hums, and you feel the vibrations against your lips as you kiss her neck. Your hands run down to her chest, resting on top of her breasts, and you let out a sharp gasp when she digs her nails into your backside, panting next to your ear.

You pull your head back, licking your lips as your eyes lock with ones darkened by want, and give in willingly when Santana claims them hungrily. You arch into her, tangling your fingers in her dark, silky locks, and tilt your head to deepen the kiss further.

You feel the elastic waistband of your leggings move down passed your ass, and whimper in protest when your kiss is broken by Santana crouching down to remove your leggings altogether. You lick your lips, watching her closely, and keep one hand tangled in her hair as you use your other to removes your own from your face. She takes her time, while crouched in front of you, to run her hands up and down your legs before placing tender kisses against your skin, causing your breath to catch as she makes her way higher.

You pant through parted lips, and Santana looks up at you through her long lashes, smiling slyly as she places a kiss against your thigh. Your breathing gets heavier with every kiss before Santana pauses in front of your center. You watch her in anticipation and she slowly wets her lips, her fingers brushing the skin just below the elastic of your panties. She holds your gaze while leaning in to kiss you, her lips twitching into a smirk when she leans up, kissing just above the elastic.

You groan, tightening your grip on her hair, and she hisses, rising to her full height.

"It's not nice to tease." You whisper and Santana chuckles lowly, pressing a kiss to the corner of your mouth.

"But it's oh _so_ fun, _Ms. Pierce_."

You moan, shivering when her breath hits your neck, and stare at her with hooded eyes, watching her pull her long sleeve over her head in one swift movement. She runs her hand through her hair to move it from her face, and tosses her shirt aside while smiling at you.

"Don't, Ms. Pierce, me." You tell her and she chuckles, holding your gaze while stepping closer, placing her hands on your hips. You move your hands to the front of her jeans, popping the button open, before shooting your hands up to tan shoulders. "Jesus…" you breathe, staring down at Santana as she holds one arm around your waist, and the other against the bottom of your thigh, keeping your center pressed against her stomach.

You're laid down on the mattress with Santana kneeling between your legs, playing with the zipper of her jeans; a sly look on her face.

"I want to be on top." She tells you and you pert near moan, fluttering your eyes open to look up at her. She lifts her brows as if asking if you agree and you nod quickly, dropping your eyes to her hands as they unzip her jeans at an excruciatingly slow pace. Your eyes follow as she backs off the bed, stepping out of her jeans smoothly. She tilts her head, running her eyes over you as you lay ready, chest heaving as you swallow, and bites her lip to contain a smile while getting back onto the bed, positioning herself between your legs.

You reach out to touch her, running your hands up her arms, and she moves higher, straddling your waist before leaning down and kissing you slowly. A whimper escapes you and Santana pulls back, looking at you.

"God, Santana, come on!" you groan, enticing a chuckle from the girl, and scowl impatiently. "Seriously, the foreplay is hot but I need –"

You let out a sharp hiss before moaning, Santana grazing the pad of her thumb along your bottom lip while keeping her fingers tangled tightly in your hair, forcing your head to tilt back.

"You need what, Britt?" she asks quietly, looking over you as your chest rises and falls heavily. You stare at her with a darkened gaze, licking your lips. "Come here." She says softly, moving her hand from your hair to gently cup the back of your neck, helping you sit up. She kisses you gently, her hands resting against your jaw as your own immediately begin to roam her toned body, resting on the top of her ass as she rocks against you. You hum when she playfully bites your lip, and smile, feeling her do the same as her hands move to the bottom of your bra, carefully moving it up over your head. Your hair falls back over your shoulders and Santana pulls all of it over your shoulder, before trailing her lips over your jaw and chin, moving to your neck to bite, deep enough to leave a mark, but not deep enough to break any skin.

She licks and sucks the same area, mixing pain with pleasure, and moves back to your mouth, pulling at your lip with an adorable growl.

"God, I can't get enough of you." She breathes against your lips, your foreheads resting against each other's, and you dig your fingers into her back, pulling her tighter against you as she continues to rock her hip.

"San," you whine pitifully. You'd be embarrassed if you weren't desperate to have her touch you, " _Please_!" your voice cracks and you open your watery eyes, begging her to do something.

She nods, pressing a quick couple of kisses to your lips before your cheek.

You blink, feeling a frustrated tear land on your cheek before you let out a loud, relieved cry, rolling your hips against her hand.

"O-oh god!" you whimper, biting your lip to keep quiet as Santana slide two digits deep inside you. "Yes…" you breathe, repeating the word over and over. "San," you whisper and she gently guides you on your back, holding herself up with an elbow while keeping up with her pace. "Santana…" you gasp quietly, holding onto her as she brings you higher.

Santana kisses the corner of your mouth as your hips meet every pump of her digits, pulling whispered curses from your lips.

"One of the benefits of being alone," she whispers in your ear, "You can be as loud as you want."

She pulls her head back to catch your gaze, and your breath catches in your throat when you take in just how utterly gorgeous she looks with her eyes so dark, lips red, and hair pulled over her shoulder.

You swallow, nodding in response to her words, and pull her head down, crashing your lips together. Your tongues move together slowly, completely out of sync with your hips and Santana's fingers, but it's perfect. It brings you to that point, and in an instant you feel the coil in your stomach tightening before it snaps; your back arching as your toes curl, nails digging into Santana's neck and shoulder as you let out a deafening cry of pleasure.

Santana stares down at you with gentle eyes, and you blink hard a few times before being able to focus on her. She smiles softly and you let go of her, bringing your hands to your hair as you let out a heavy breath, a smile forming on your face.

"Wow."

"That's what you're going with?" She chuckles, still smiling as she pulls her digits from you, glancing at you when you let a small moan slip. You lick your lips and she winks, pecking your lips thrice before sitting up.

You take a few minutes to catch your breath, enjoying the view of Santana straddling your waist, her exposed skin glistening with sweat. And you think only Santana can make _sweat_ seem extremely sexy.

Santana smacks her lips slightly before frowning and glancing around, "I thought I had a bottle of water in here?"

You snort and she looks at you, resting her hands, fingers spread out, on your stomach. Your muscles twitch at her touch and she drums a light beat against your slightly visible abs while you just stare.

"So what's with you and pulling hair?" you suddenly ask, Santana snapping her head up in surprise before she blushes. You arch a brow with a playful smirk and Santana rolls her eyes, lightly scratching down your stomach.

"What's with you and scratching?"

"I do that?" you ask innocently and Santana lets out a laugh, nodding as she slowly leans down.

"Yes, babe, you do that."

You grin into the kiss and wrap an arm around her waist, flipping your positions as she lets out a squeal.

* * *

 **Remember, there won't be an update on the 8th, but the 15th. Unless I don't. But I probably will. Give or take a day.**

 **-B**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Chapter 28.."give or take a day" my ass...no excuses, but it's been too long. Do people even really read Brittana ff anymore? :(**

 **-B**

* * *

May, 2021:

Your eyes flutter open tiredly and dance around the room before landing on your phone buzzing against the night table. You groan quietly and take it in your hand, squinting at the screen before widening your eyes and ripping the covers off of you.

You shiver the instant you're on your feet, and look around in confusion before your eyes land on Santana sleeping on her stomach, hair covering her face as she snores softly. Your lips curl into a smile before your phone buzzes in your hand, and you snap out of it, grabbing one of the robes folded on the dresser, and slip it on as you leave the bedroom.

"Hello?" you answer quietly, holding your phone between your ear and shoulder as you tie your robe closed.

" _Brittany, where the hell are you_?"

You squint, taking a seat on the edge of the couch, and glance towards the bedroom, "Derek?"

" _Kieran and I went to your place last night to surprise you with a family dinner, and you weren't there. I called Quinn and she said you were out of town for the weekend?" he says in confusion, "Why didn't you tell me_?"

You shift, clearing your throat, and taking your phone in your hand, "It was a last minute conference Figgins had me attend."

Derek hums and you swallow, " _A conference for what_?"

"Oh, just, you know. Darwinism, Lamarckism…tonight we're discussing the Boveri-Sutton Chromosome Theory." You say easily and wait for Derek's response.

" _Uh…is it bad that I have no idea what any of those are_?"

You grin victoriously and straighten, "Of course not. I wouldn't expect you to know. You're just a business executive." You chuckle and Derek scoffs on the other end.

" _I call you because I'm worried, and I get picked on_."

"That's how we do it in this family."

" _Yes, well now that I know you're not dead, I'll let you get back to Lurkism_."

" _Lamarckism_ , Derek. The idea that an organism can pass down characteristics it had acquired during its lifetime to its offspring. Take an interest."

Derek chuckles and you smile faintly, " _I'll talk to you later, Britt. Love you_."

"Love you too." You say quietly, only pulling your phone from your ear when Derek ends the call. Letting out a sigh, you hold your phone in your lap and stare at the darkened screen before rolling your eyes and standing up.

It was your weekend with Santana and you didn't need any outside nonsense messing with your head. Just you and Santana.

You hear a soft sigh as you re-enter the bedroom, and snort quietly in amusement as you stare at the brunette, flipped onto her back with her arms stretched out. Your gaze travels down her face to her bare shoulders, and continue down to where the comforter rests at the top of her breasts.

"Britt?"

You blink and lift your gaze, smiling softly at the sleepy, brown eyes staring back at you, and make your way over to the bed, reclaiming your spot next to her.

"Time's it?" she mumbles as you shuffle closer, draping your arm over her waist to pull her closer.

"It's early, San. Go back to sleep." You say, pressing a loving kiss to her shoulder as she pulls your arm tighter around her. She relaxes in your arms, and you brush your lips over her skin once more before letting your eyes close.

* * *

"Mother-!" you curse, dropping your curler in the sink as your hand shoots up to your ear, and pout. You run your thumb over the reddening tip of your ear and turn your gaze to the curler, glaring darkly at it.

"Britt, are you okay?"

You glance at the door of the bathroom when you hear Santana's laugh, and unplug the curler, setting it properly on the counter before throwing your essentials in your morning bag.

"I'm fine." You call and hear her snort.

"Are you sure? That's the fifth time you cursed your mother."

You huff and place your bag off to the side, opening the door, "I wasn't cursing _my_ mother." You mumble and look up, pausing at the door. Your lips turn upwards into a grin as you take in the sight before you.

Santana sits at the end of the bed, the comforter wrapped around her shoulders as she picks raspberries from the metal cart next to the bed; which was not there when you went in to shower. But the best part of it all, is that Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny are arguing over what hunting season it is on the television.

" _Duck season_!"

" _Wabbit season_!"

Santana chuckles quietly, watching the two characters argue.

You shake your head in amazement, shoulders slouching as you lean against the doorframe; keeping your eyes on the girl as you question how someone can be this adorable, after spending the night before proving she is a living, breathing, sex goddess.

"Jesus!" Santana gasps before laughing, shaking her head at Daffy blowing out smoke from his mouth after being shot.

You melt at the sound, and take a deep breath as you feel your heart swell.

Your eyes widen slightly in surprise before they return to normal, and you push off the wall, climbing onto the bed before settling behind Santana with your arms wrapped around her.

She turns her head to look back at you, and smiles sweetly, pecking your lips before offering you a berry, "I had them bring up breakfast when you were in the shower."

"I'm okay for now." You tell her and she shrugs faintly before returning her attention to the screen. Your eyes dance over her profile, and you wet your lips, squeezing her tighter as you rest your forehead against she shoulder. You take a breath and Santana links her fingers with yours resting in her lap, "I love you." You tell her, almost in a whisper, and feel her tense in your arms.

She's quiet for the remaining fifteen minutes of the show, only replying when you quietly call her name in question.

She shifts and mutes the TV before turning to face you with a frown, "You don't have to say it."

Your brows furrow in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I don't want you to tell me you love me because Mercedes brought it up. There's no pressure, Britt. I'm not expecting you to just –"

"Woah, Santana," you say quickly, cutting her off, and shake your head when you catch her gaze, "Me saying I love you has nothing to do with Mercedes bringing it up, or me feeling pressured. I said it because I wanted to tell you how I feel about you." You tell her and Santana looks between your eyes carefully. "It's just, waking up with you, and coming out of the bathroom to see you sitting here, watching Looney Tunes, and being adorable…I can see this being a regular thing and I love that. I love _you_."

You watch Santana drop your hand, letting out a breath as she looks between your eyes quickly, a smile pulling at her lips, "You love me?"

"Mmhmm."

"You _love_ me?"

"Yes, Santana." You laugh, grabbing her hands in yours, "I love you."

She lets out a relieved laugh, and pulls on your hands, cupping the nape of your neck as she presses her lips to yours, pulling you closer. You chuckle into the kiss and rest your hand on her thigh, squeezing gently.

"I love you too." She breathes against your lips, pulling back to smile at you. You match her grin and cup her cheek, using your thumb to brush away the lone tear.

"Well obviously." You tease before the two of you break out into a laugh.

* * *

"Okay, so where exactly are we going?" you ask, holding the door open for Santana before following her out of the hotel.

How she managed to convince you to go for a _walk_ with her, is beyond you; especially seeing as you'd much prefer laying around in bed, watching Family Feud.

You run your hand through your wavy hair, scowling when you remember burning yourself multiple times, and glance at Santana when she links your arms together, leading you out of the parking lot.

"I have no idea."

"Santana, going for a walk was _your_ idea."

She looks at you with an amused grin and arches a brow at you, "Yes, and we're going to walk around until we find somewhere we want to stop." You let out a sigh and Santana rolls her eyes, tugging on your arm, "You have all night to watch your little game show, calm down."

"Little game show?" you gasp, looking at her in shock, "Santana, Family Feud is, like, awesome."

"Really, that's your defense?"

"That's my defense." You grin, placing a quick peck upon her cheek. She stares at you and you wink, unlinking your arm to tangle your fingers together instead. You glance up at her face, laughing at her beaming smile, and bump her shoulder lightly with yours. "What's with the smile?"

"We're holding hands." She states and you nod slowly, "In public, Britt; without having to worry about people seeing us."

You sigh happily and pull her to a stop, draping your arms around her neck before leaning down for a kiss. You feel her fist the front of your shirt, pulling you closer, and pull back when she lets out an adorable whine. She swallows and glances around with a blush, "You're so cute." You grin, kissing her cheek before taking her hand once again, caressing the back with your thumb.

* * *

The two of you spent the last hour just walking around Columbus, goofing around and snapping some cliché couple pictures along the way. It was…actually pretty fucking amazing to be able to be so carefree with Santana, without having to glance over your shoulder every two minutes.

And Santana…

You snort in amusement, shaking your head fondly at the girl as she clings to your arm, a content smile on her face as she just enjoys the walk. You never imagined you'd be this lucky; to find someone as amazing as her.

"What are you smiling about?" Santana asks, looking at you with a questioning smile.

You pull your arm from her hand and rest your own against her lower back, gently pushing her to the side of the walkway as a group of middle aged woman jog by. She arches a brow and you pull your hand back, clasping both behind your back.

Running your eyes over her face, you smile and shrug helplessly, "Just thinking about how lucky I am." You admit quietly and watch Santana's lips curl into that one of a kind, beautiful smile. It warms your heart.

"Lucky huh?" she teases and you roll your eyes with a grin, "I am pretty damn awesome."

"That you are." You agree cheekily and let out a laugh when she swats playfully at your shoulder, catching her hand between yours before bringing her hand to your lips with a smirk. You place a delicate kiss to the back of her hand, your eyes sparkling playfully at her as she blushes deeply.

"Britt…" she breathes, glancing at the ground.

"Hmm?" you hum, glancing past her. Your lips pull into wide grin, and you lower her hand from your lips.

"There's actually something –"

"Hold that thought." You say quickly with excitement, spinning the brunette around. "That's where we're stopping." You point to large dusty window, a dim light flickering inside the tiny shop, and bounce. "Come on!"

Santana goes to protest, and your smile falters faintly, before she shakes her head with a smile, linking your fingers together, "Okay."

You beam and check both ways before dragging Santana across the street, leading her in a jog down the sidewalk until you end up in front of the brick building; the glass window reading 'Neighbourhood Bookstore'.

The bell dings overhead as the two of you slip inside, hit with the smell of old books.

Your shoulders slump as you inhale, smiling contently. You look around, the walls covered in books sorted under their genres, and turn around to face the older man sitting at the register, his glasses at the very tip of his nose as his gaze travels from receipts to a leather ledger.

"Hi, I was –"

You're cut off by a distracted grunt, and pull your head back in surprise, glancing at Santana.

"He seems a bit busy, Britt." She whispers, rubbing your arm gently, "Why don't we just look around?"

You eye the old man, viciously punching the buttons on an ancient calculator, and tense when he pauses, slowly lifting his gaze without moving his head. Santana straightens at your side, as you do the same, watching his beady grey eyes shift between the two of you.

"What?!" he barks and the two of you jump, Santana letting out a squeak, before you turn her and lead her towards the fiction section with haste.

"Grumpy old bastard." Santana mumbles, glancing back. You shush her quickly with wide eyes and slowly pull your finger from her lips, looking towards the man.

"But yes, I agree." You mumble. Santana snorts and leans forwards, pecking your cheek.

"So, I take it you have a book in mind?" You nod with a grin, and she lifts her brows, "It's not some satanic ritual guide, or like a witches spell book, right, because I'm not down with that."

"No, San." You laugh, eyeing her as you move closer to the books, "Nothing like that." Your run your fingers over the spines of the books, reading the titles as you go and look back at Santana with a smile, "There are a few books, classics, you know, that I haven't read, yet I should have. And," you drag out, looking back at the shelf before smiling widely, pulling one of the books out, "seeing as we were here, I thought I might be able to find one or two."

"Ah," Santana nods, moving closer to look at the title of the book in your hands, "To Kill A Mockingbird?" she questions and you nod, "You haven't read that?"

You lower your hands and frown, looking at the girl, "You have?"

"English assignment for freshmen years." She shrugs, frowning as she fiddles with one of the cover's folded corners, "It wasn't that great. Or at least I didn't think so. Though, I hated assigned readings…also never really read the chapters so."

You blink at her before shaking your head and fixing the folded corner, "Well, I've always wondered what the deal was but never got around to reading it; I'm actually pretty surprised it wasn't assigned to me when I was in school."

Santana smiles at you and you blush at her adoring look, averting your gaze to the book.

"Were you looking for another?"

"I think I'll just get this one."

"Good." Santana says, snatching it from your hands. You blink and reach for it when she spins and marches over to the grumpy old man.

"Santana, what are you doing?" you chuckle, coming to a stop beside her after she clears her throat loudly, arching an expectant brow at the man. He scowls and looks up.

"Twelve." He mumbles, looking between the both of you as Santana hands him a ten and a five. You furrow your brows, your hand in your pocket for your wallet.

"Keep the change." She says, taking the small bag, and holding it out for you as you look at it and then back at her.

"Santana…" you say with a shake of your head.

" _No_." she says firmly with a faint smile. You stare at her in surprise as she points at you, gently poking your shoulder, "You planned this whole trip, wouldn't let me pay for gas or anything, so I get to do this. It's nothing huge…but I don't know, it's my first gift to you, from our first trip together." She says softly, crossing her arms lightly over her chest, "So don't start."

You bite your lip to keep your smile from growing too big, and tilt your head at her before smoothly slipping your hand into hers, leading her out of the store. "Where to now?" she asks and you look at her with a sly grin.

"Back to the hotel." You tell her, "So I can thank you properly."

* * *

"Oh god…"

You smirk, quite pleased with yourself, and pull the thin sheet from over you while crawling back up Santana's body.

"God, huh? That good?" you whisper, biting your lip seductively as Santana removes her hands from pressing against her eyes, dropping them to your shoulders.

"Yes, that good." She breathes, hands running down your biceps before she pulls you closer, "Perfect, to be more accurate." She adds with a grin.

" _Really_?" you laugh, leaning down with a tilt of your head. You swallow Santana's moan and break the kiss with a gasp of your own when her hips lift, bumping against yours. "Fuck, I love you." You whisper against her lips. Your one hand rests against the bed next to her head, and your other trails up her side, brushing her breast before you cup her cheek.

"I love you too." She smiles sweetly.

Your blue eyes search brown, before you swallow roughly, kissing Santana deeply.

"I mean it, Santana." You tell her after pulling back. Her smile falters slightly before she nods, immediately wrapping her arms around you when you rest your head in the crook of her neck.

You feel her shift beneath you after you spend a few minutes content in her arms, and mumble her name; your lips brushing against her skin.

"Britt…I got into NYU."

You frown, and pull your head back at her whisper to get a look at her face.

Santana bites at her bottom lip, and glances at you before you let out a chuckle, "You got in?" She nods and you shake your head, placing kisses over her face and chest. "That's amazing, Santana!" you exclaim proudly, pushing yourself into a proper sitting position, Santana watching you with a tight lipped smile.

You eye her with furrowed brows, your smile questioning, and run a hand through your hair, "What's wrong? You should be jumping for joy. I thought NYU was your top choice? I mean, you usually go nuts about the idea of living in New York."

"Yeah, living in New York would be amazing…" she breathes, staring at the ceiling while your eyes scan her face, "But I'm not so sure that's where I want to be anymore." You frown at her confession, and get off the bed, grabbing two shirts and pairs of panties, putting them on before handing Santana the others.

"Why do you say that?" you ask, pulling your shirt on as Santana sits up, pulling both pieces of clothing on whilst remaining in bed. She looks at you and shrugs while flopping onto her back, pulling the covers up to her chest. "Babe, there has to be a reason." You say, fiddling with the end of the blanket.

Santana purses her lips and you sigh heavily, crawling into bed. You drop down right beside the girl, wrapping your arm over her stomach, and kiss her cheek to get her to look at you.

"I don't want to leave everyone behind." She says both quietly and hesitantly, "I mean, there's my family, Kurt and Mercedes, even Tina –"

"And me." You finish, looking at her knowingly as she shifts sheepishly. "Santana." You say firmly.

"Britt, we've only had so long together! After waiting for months." She says, throwing a hand up before it drops to your arm, squeezing lightly, "I'm just supposed to give you up?" she asks sadly, looking at you.

You shake your head and lean forwards, kissing her softly before leaning back, "You being in New York does not mean you're going to lose me, San. We love each other. A few miles aren't going to change that."

"A _few_ miles?"

"Yeah, it's not –"

" _Five hundred and thirty-five_ , Brittany." She states and you arch an amused brow. "Yeah, I looked it up."

"Santana–"

"I'm not going to have anyone, and I mean, I can do that, but do you know how much I'll miss you?"

"Santana–"

"I mean, I don't think I'll be able to get by with talking to you over Skype. I can't do it."

"Santana!" you laugh, placing your hand over her mouth. She quiets down, and you eye her, "Can I talk now?" She nods slowly, and you pull your hand away, taking its place with your lips. She instantly melts against you, and you pull back, nudging your nose affectionately against hers. "You're not losing me." You tell her, staring into her eyes as you lean back, "We can handle a long distance relationship. Sure it will suck being away from each other for so long, but I'll visit you and you'll come back to see everyone…it's going to be fine." Santana nods, her lips twitching into a smile, "Okay?" you ask with a playful smile.

"Okay."

* * *

 **A/N: No idea when next update will be, but im trying.**

 **-B**


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